School election anyone?

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It's leadership that counts

2010/02/28

By Minderjeet Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: Go back to the basics in selecting head prefects in schools.
Their capabilities and leadership qualities should be the main criteria, not just popularity, said Education Director-General Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom.

"Criteria such as leadership qualities, personality and elements of responsibility must be there. Selection should not be based simply on popularity. We should revert to the old way of doing this; go back to the basics," he said yesterday.

Alimuddin was responding to the ban on school elections imposed by the ministry.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong was quoted as saying on Saturday that Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had ordered that school elections be banned.

A circular had been issued to all schools, Wee had said.
Alimuddin said each school had a committee to select the head prefect.

"This is what we have been doing all these years and there has been no problem. I believe headmasters and teachers know best whom they want as head prefect. So, there is no need for elections."

He cautioned schools to adhere to the ruling. "There are no two ways about this."

SMK Raja Uda in Bayan Baru, Penang, and SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail and SK Bukit Damansara here were among those schools that had held polls to elect head prefects.

"Those that have had elections before, let it be," Alimuddin said.


(taken from NST.com.my)


Some say it's a waste of time

2010/02/28


KUALA LUMPUR: The ban on school elections has received mixed views.
While some are saying that schools should focus on education, others want the process to go on to inculcate creativity and freedom of expression among students.

National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Prof Loke Yim Pheng said students should focus only on education.

"Why must we bring the (election) culture to schools? It will only create tensions and disturbances because there will be lots of students campaigning for posts.

"It will divert their attention from doing the real thing -- studying."

She said students could learn about elections when they were in universities.
"They will be ready for the election process by then."

Loke said as part of educating students to practise democracy from young, they could give their feedback to their schools.

"But primary and secondary schools are definitely not the place for elections."

National Parent-Teacher Association chairman Associate Prof Mohd Ali Hassan echoed similar sentiments.

He, however, said polls should be allowed for Form Six students.

Ali said elections at an early age were a sheer waste of time.

Such an activity, he added, benefited neither the students nor the schools.

"If elections are allowed, I am afraid that it might encourage money politics at a very young age. Some might start giving empty promises to win while others might buy ice cream to win votes.

"However, I am of the opinion that sixth formers should be allowed to vote for their head perfect as they are on par with college and university students.


"They are mature enough to vote," he added.

Parents Action Group for Education thinks that students' capabilities should not be underestimated.

"It is a part of the thinking process. It will also help them to be creative," said Page chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Karim.

She added that the process would not encourage money politics.

"The adults are reading too much between the lines. There is no dark side to school elections."

To avoid confusion or tension, schools should be transparent and clear about the election process, she said.

"Schools normally do 90 per cent of the selection and the remaining 10 per cent is done by pupils.

"By allowing them to vote, the children will feel like they are part of the democratic process."

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has lauded the Education Ministry's move to ban school elections.

Deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said it was the right decision not to get students involved in school elections.

"This is my personal opinion. They are too young to understand politics. It will also encourage groupings. It might split them from young," he said when commenting on the Education Ministry's move to ban elections in all primary and secondary schools.

He added that the schools did not seek any advice from the EC before holding the elections as the matter came under the ministry.

"The schools must have decided to go ahead with the process after seeking approval from their parent-teacher associations."

Wan Ahmad said primary schoolchildren could learn democracy in class and debate the subject when they were in secondary schools.

"They can then apply what they have learnt in colleges or universities."


(Taken from NST.com.my)

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Remember last time when they first reported about how a school conducted an election to elect their head prefect? Well, for one, I thought "Why didn't my old school thought of that when I was in school?" 
It's interesting! You see young students taking part in a small political event in school, choosing the best leader for them. But now they're banning it?

For one, what I understood from the articles above is that, students are supposed to concentrate on their studies. Well, that's true. Two, election in school might lead to separations of students due to deferences of views. Three, students might vote base on popularity. 

Yes, true. things like that bound to happen somehow. But I think,the teachers can ease up the problem a little by choosing the right candidates. For one, to be a head prefect you have to be a prefect first. To be a prefect, you must be chosen by the teachers base on performance in class. From the start, there are many good prefects and all the teachers have to do is, choose a few prefects that can do the job. Look at their performance in class, how they work their time and before agreeing on anything, ask for their parents permission. After that, the process of the campaigning and the election itself should be monitor. Because one thing is for sure, students looks happy in the pictures when they can vote, because from what I see, they feel happy when they can contribute something like the adults did during the general election. Just one side note; they shouldn't grow up too fast. 

What do you guys think? 

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