DOI: 10.36344/ccijhss.2016.v02i01.005

Pages: 25-30

This paper assesses the process of effective leadership identification in schools. Leadership by students is an important component of most schools’ welfare policies. Students are provided with a number of opportunities to become part of the student leadership team such as prefects, SRC members, library monitors, class monitors and sports captains. As leaders in the schools, students are encouraged to develop and demonstrate social skills of leadership and responsibility, working as part of a group, supporting their peers, demonstrating pride in their school and showing initiative by the way in which they carry their duties. Identifying leaders aims at singling out the real leaders. At the same time, its purpose is to prevent pupils who are not leaders from being assigned leadership positions. It is therefore most important that the identification of leaders be done systematically and correctly. In leader identification pupils should be informed of the difference between leadership, friendship and popularity. Owing to their lack of knowledge and experience, pupils are not always able to make this distinction.