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Being one of the few chosen ones, being a pengawas sekolah or school prefect can be quite an honour. After all, not everyone can say that they were handpicked to represent the student authority.
Whether you were elected because of your academic excellence or for displaying a knack for leadership, being a school prefect means you are expected to be the model every student should want to emulate, apart from enforcing rules on behalf of the teachers.
While it's pretty much a thankless job and you might probably end up being one of the most hated people in school, it's a small price to pay considering the "benefits" you get for being a prefect:
1. You get to wear a special uniform that sets you apart from the rest
Not only do you get a 'Pengawas Sekolah' badge to pin to your lapel, some schools let their prefects dress differently from normal students such as having them wear light blue shirts instead of white, wearing black shoes instead of white, or adding a tie and/or blazer to their daily uniform.
Sure, ties and blazers can be quite stifling on hot days, but at least you look different and a tad classier than everyone else. :p
2. It's okay if you're late to your first class, because you were on duty
As prefects, it is our responsibility to make sure no one lingers outside the classroom after assembly as well as to jot down the names of students who arrive late.
3. You get to go for recess early because you're on duty
Someone's gotta make sure all the students properly lined up during recess and don't linger in the canteen after.
4. You have advance notice on when the next spot-check is going to happen
While this highly-confidential information is usually set by the teacher advisor and leaders of the prefect committee, you still find out about the spot-check at least an hour before it's due to happen.
That gives you enough time to hide the *benda haram* you happen to have brought to school (please, everyone's brought their mobile phone to school at least once in their schooling life) and – if you're feeling generous – warn your friends to do the same.
5. You can walk around the school during class hours without needing a pas kebenaran keluar kelas (hall pass)
Teachers just generally assume you're on an errand for another teacher when you're walking around anyway. Even if they ask, well, you could just say you're doing some prefect thing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
6. You're probably one of the first few people to know when there's teacher-student drama, because you hang around with the teachers so often
Other students call you "teacher's pet", but you prefer to think of yourself as the "Messenger" among your friends.
7. You have your own special room to hold meetings and hang out in
I don't know about your school, but the *Bilik Pengawas* (Prefects' Room) in my school had a meeting room layout AND air-con. AIR-CON, YOU GUYS.
8. You "volunteer" to help out for school events… because it's a legit reason to skip class. WOOOO…!
Putting up decorations for Teachers' Day, setting up tents for Food Fair, carrying chairs for Hari Anugerah… you name it, we're happy to help.
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9. If you're lucky, you get to go on prefects-only field trips or leadership camps, which basically means it's another legit reason to skip class. WOO…!
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10. You might get an extra edge just by listing down your accomplishments as a pengawas sekolah when you're applying for a scholarship
For one, being chosen to be a prefect already sets you apart from your peers, and scholarship interviews do take into account your co-curricular accomplishments. Since being a prefect is practically a full-time "job", you can be assured that you'll have top co-curriculum marks.
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