SHOULD I CONTEST FOR SCHOOL POST

It was second term. Ugochukwu, my younger brother, saw me and asked, “Ife, should I contest for school post?” I shared some thoughts with him and because I know that you may be asking similar question,on Morning Assembly today, I want to guide on deciding whether to contest for school post.

There are three crucial questions you have to answer to know whether you are fit to contest for school post.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DO?

One of the key questions you must answer is: do you have anything you want to do with your post? You should define what you want to do when you are given the post you are vying for. If you don’t have anything worth spending your time, energy and perhaps money, you shouldn’t border contesting. You must have positive change to make in your school before you should go ahead to contest. I will be sincere with you; I contested without any clear reason for it apart from the fun of being a school functionary. But I have grown up to realize that it’s not worth it. If more fulfilling that you have something you want to do and go about doing it than being a functionary just to answer name.

CAN YOU BALANCE WITH YOUR ACADEMICS?

The Primary purpose of being in school is to acquire knowledge and get your character molded. Being a functionary will place a demand on the time for your academics. You must be able to balance your being a functionary. If you can’t, you must keep away from contesting. I have seen functionaries who got their academic ship wrecked because of school leadership.

Do you have what it takes to be a functionary? Being a functionary demands a lot. It requires leadership, team spirit, maturity and wisdom to be an effective leader. But if you don’t have these attributes which are indispensible in leadership, you will be ineffective as a leader and may hamper your academic progress.

What have I said today: Being a functionary is a good idea. It will help you develop important skills you will need in your life as an adult. I enjoyed being a social prefect. If you have what it takes to excel at it while balancing your academics, please go for it. You will be happy you did. However, if you don’t have what it takes, you will leave to regret taking that step.

Good luck!

In the Weeks ahead, I will show you how to some truths on Being an Effective Functionary