The word is used as a noun and the word has its uses mostly in Britain. In the British schools the word conveys the idea of a kind of student who is older and he commands authority on the younger students. With the title he has some advantages also and as happened always that the advantages come with responsibilities, the prefect in the British schools also has some responsibilities to respond to.
In some countries like Italy, France and Japan the word is also used as a title for the person who is responsible for a particular area in the local governance. But when you are using the word in this context most of the time it is seen that the word starts with capital letter even if the word appears in the middle of a sentence.
In some countries like Italy, France and Japan the word is also used as a title for the person who is responsible for a particular area in the local governance. But when you are using the word in this context most of the time it is seen that the word starts with capital letter even if the word appears in the middle of a sentence.