prefect, in English public (i.e., private, secondary, boarding) schools and in some U.S. private schools, an older student given official charge of the conduct and tutoring of several younger students in his residence hall. The prefectural system goes back to the 14th century; boys eligible to be prefects are the oldest in the school, having reached the sixth, or highest, form. In France a prefect is the master in charge of superintending studies in a religious college. In education, the term may refer to an aide or student who merely monitors students during a written examination.