Ayodeji Ake
Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls School held its student general election recently as a way of exposing children to electioneering processes and prepare them for the future.
Speaking during the election held within the school compound in Sabo, Lagos, the Principal, Mrs. Shola Adeyinka, said the students had just witnessed the last 2019 election, thus, it was a way of enlightening the children to election processes, structure and operations.
“The children went home on compulsory midterm break because of the recent general election. We felt we need to expose them to the electoral processes. The Senior Secondary class three (SS3) students are rounding up and the Senior Secondary class two (SS2) students are preparing to take over the mandate as prefects.
“Even though their ages are not of electoral age but as government students, we want them to be exposed to the electoral system so that when they graduate, they will have an insight of what election looks like, which is why we came with the idea of voting to select their prefects.
“Two days before the Election Day, they already formed their parties with their names and funny enough, they have party agents among themselves. The junior students were busy campaigning all over the compound with cardboards for their next prefects.
“In the future they may become a political leader or be given political posts. So, for them to have the view of what they can be in the future, we want them to have the mind-sets of what it looks like”.
The school’s government teacher who doubled as the election chairman, Mr. Paul Ogungbile said the election process is another way of teaching the students what democracy stands for, and about major stakeholders that take part in election processes.
