SCHOOL POLITICS: A NECESSARY ACADEMIC DISTRACTER, HOW TO NAVIGATE

The life of human beings is naturally born and built upon politics. Consciously or unconsciously, human beings play politics in different human endeavors to gain advantages over others. The advantages could be social, political or economic; depending on the circumstances.

In fact, for human beings to think of having a partner for procreation and sexual satisfaction, acquiring education to be wise, or establishing a business to exploit opportunities; they are all part of human politics, social reality, and mentality to become powerful in the society.

Nations, societies, social institutions, down to families and individuals, each play the game of politics for their survival. Majorly, the economic life of every human being in any field of human endeavor depends largely on the ability to navigate in the world of politics.

For whatever reason, national, local, institutional/organizational (like tertiary institutions__Universities, Polytechnics COEs), politics is a necessary syndrome that cannot be avoided. Thus, the basis of our discussion will be on school politics that many students do take more seriously than their CGPA.

There are pros and cons of participating in school politics. However, it is a phenomenon worth your time, resources and energy. Because through it, the students get to understand the real and practical aspects of democracy, leadership, and teamwork. Through the activities of school politics, the students also get to develop important skills like communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation and/or consensus where and when necessary.

Many political leaders occupying the national political offices today began the game right from their days of University, Polytechnic or College of Education. The likes of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, and a lot of others were one time student union leaders. Nevertheless, this should not get too much into your head at the expense of your academic performance.

Mind you, school politics can slip you into stress and anxiety if you cannot strike a balance. The presence of these two elements in the academic environment is a threat to the carrier's academic performance if you cannot properly manage or navigate through your political activities in the school.

Dear reader, at this juncture, permit me to introduce you to the beautiful submissions of Abdul Azeez whose thought would take you round the aspect of navigations in the world of school politics.

The importance of discussing school politics as it concerns students of higher education can never be overemphasized. Do you know that a myriad of students do not even have a wide understanding of their school environment and her politics before venturing into it? The surprising part is their less concern about comprehending the whole aspects of school politics. They don't summon the courage to understand their strengths and weaknesses and study where they best fit. They just hear the form is outand their next line of action is to acquire the form to contest without minding their academic prowess and knowing how to run or navigate through the school politics effectively.

First and foremost, to navigate, you need to have a thorough understanding of your school environment, the nature of its politics, previous elections held, the winners and losers alike, and weigh the probability/possibility of winning. Also understand the influential figures involved in any category of school politics you intend to engage in, study their academic life and the performance of past occupant of the post you are vying for. This will earn you influence, give you an edge and enhance you in becoming a formidable student politically and academically.

Next is to set a clear priority and time yourself. There are a lot of campaigns on how we must complement our degree with skills in case our degree is unable to fetch us a job. With school politics, your routine and daily activities will increase, especially if you intend to acquire one or two skills in school from your school mates. Set a priority! But make sure that you are not a Jack of all trades and master of none. However, for you to be a great ALUTA/COMRADE, you need to be knowledgeable.

Don't always forget to build good relationships with your fellow students and also the lecturers. Politics of any kind is a game of interest. Nevertheless, if you have a bad relationship with your fellow comrades or lecturers, it will attract negative consequences.

As a matter of fact, there is no way you would govern people you are having a sour relationship with. It is totally impossible. The last Nigerian presidential election should educate and enlighten you about the power of synergy and togetherness. As an aspirant, you are more than a public relations officer who builds a rapport between the organization and their clients.

It is paramount to build a cordial relationship with your colleagues so that they can be there and help you in your academic path when you are missing lectures or classes because of political meetings. Develop a good relationship with your senior comrades so that they will not work against you. When you eventually succeed, build a good relationship with your lecturers so that you will not have problems in your office and class. Furthermore, it is an important instrument to aim for personal development; you need this attribute as a leader. This is because your post or office should be of voluntary service to humanity rather than expecting so much gain from it.

It gladdens my heart that I didn't forget to exhort you to seek 'mentorship' whenever you have intention for contesting in the school election. The road is cumbersome than you might have thought. Thus, informing people who have passed through the academic and political path about your movement is an outstanding strategy. Take a step to identify them so that they can offer valuable insight into navigating through school politics. In fact, when you eventually get your aspiring post, visit them often so that you can have an incredible performance in both your academic and administrative course.

Conclusively, navigating through politics can be a herculean task, however, with a proactive and strategic approach, students can turn the challenge into an opportunity for growth.