Guidance and Counselling: An Emerging Trend in Education for Sustainable National Development Dr. John O. E. Egbo Department of Educational Foundation, Faculty of Education, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki johnegbo41@gmail.com Abstracts School guidance and counselling is a concept that represents efforts that are made purposefully to resolve academic, vocational and personal social problems of learners, and as well enhance the process of optimal self clarification and adjustment. It is a process of empowerment meant to make functional citizens to become meaningful to selves and the society. This therefore, brings about sustainable development as through counseling, positive changes in human behavior are imbibed to resolve psychological, social, vocational, personal as well as academic issues. School counsellors use properly designed guidance programmes which are counselling, orientation, information, appraisal, placement, referral, evaluation, follow up, research and community services to achieve the aims of school counselling. School counselling improves adjustment programmes of students, set realistic goals, improve total education programmes, act and accept self as a functional being, worthy of contributing meaningfully in the society. That is why as an emerging trend in education, guidance and counselling enhances sustainable national development and needs the support of all stake holders. Key words: Guidance, Counselling, School, Adjustment, Development, Education Introduction: School guidance and counselling is as old as formal schooling in Nigeria. This goes to suggest that Africa, and Nigeria in particular, are used to traditional counselling practices as a way of guiding the troubled youths against crises and repositioning them for meaningful living in the society. The school, being the mirror of the society, has since time immemorial been used to ensure effective counselling programmes to match with time and needs of the people. School curricula used during the colonial era were good enough to satisfy the whims and caprices of the colonial masters. The educated people then were largely incapable and describable as handicapped school learners. Most of them were merely good enough to translate and interpret the verbal orders of their imperial masters. They were highly incapable of engaging in manual or vocational jobs and soon, the effect of these curricula became manifest from the 1970s which was climaxed in the 1980s in the form of acute unemployment. Nigerians became consumeric and the economy became suspect instead of booming. This anomaly was envisaged earlier and this gave rise to the National Curriculum Conference (N.C.C) of 1969 in Lagos under the auspices of the National Educational 246 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
Research Council (NERC). The deliberations made at the conference are contained in the booklet, the Nigerian Policy on Education (N.P.E). This policy document appears to be the guide posts of Nigerian education system. The conference led to the initiation of the new education system in Nigeria, tagged the 6:3:3.4 system of education, which if well implemented, is envisaged to empower the Nigerian school learner to be a highly functional, adjusted and meaningful to both self and the society at large. This was how Guidance and Counselling was inclined into the Nigerian education system, as a school service programme. Section 10, Number 83 of the said National Policy on Education, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004), emphasizes that the education service, Guidance and Counselling in the new policy was tailored to: Develop, assess and improve educational programmes Enhance teaching and improve the competence of teachers. Makes learning more meaningful to children Reduce educational costs Develop and promote an effective use of innovative materials in schools. In the same policy paper too, it is spelt out that, in view of the apparent ignorance of many young people about career prospects and in view of personality mal adjustment among school children, career officers and counsellors will be appointed in post primary institutions (Federal republic of Nigeria, 2004). Based on all of these reasons, school Guidance and Counseling is, in a celebrated embrace with the Nigerian education system as a novelty and trend meant to bring out the best in the school learners, both in and out of schools. This is the crux of this paper. Meaning of Guidance and Counselling Guidance and counselling appear inseparable and indeed like two sides of a coin. Guidance is from the root world guide, which implies to direct, steer, pilot, lead, conduct and protect. It is the totality of assistance given to individuals to be usefully adjusted in making meaningful contributions in the society. Chauhan (2009), writes that guidance is the oldest subject in the world as both human beings as well as animals all protect and provide guidance to the young ones to adjust in the environment in order to live effectively. He added that guidance helps to aid development of individuality by giving educational, vocational and personal- social assistance, as all welfare practices are meant to better the individual. The implication is that in our daily lives we need assistance to live effectively and meaningfully. The assistance in schools, span through areas of academics, vocational and or personal social spheres and problems, and indeed, helps us to actualize our intentions and wholesome desires, as may be needed. It is all about the improvement of individuals. Counselling on the other hand is an interactive process between the counsellor and the troubled individual meant to bring about self realization in the individual. It is more of a oneone-one interaction between the counsellor and his clients, meant to bring about proper understanding of issues in order to resolve prevailing problems. However, counselling is part of the umbrella word, guidance that provide school programmes like information, appraisal, orientation, counselling, placement, referral, evaluation, follow up, research and community services. Counselling is indeed, the heart of guidance, and the pivoting wheel upon which, all other school guidance programmes rotate. These school guidance programmes principally can be said to summaringly entail the main functions of the school counsellor who among other things, champions self discoveries on the part of the clients. 247 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
Thus, Shertzer and Stone in Omebe (2005) identify what are involved in counselling: a process in which the counsellor assists the counsellee to make interpretations of facts relating to a plan or adjustment which he needs to make. a process which takes place in a one-to-one relationship between an individual, troubled by problems that he cannot cope alone with and a professional worker whose training and experience have qualified him to help others reach solutions to various types of personal difficulties. The interaction which: - occurs between two individuals a counsellor and a counsellee (and) - takes place in a professional setting is initiated and maintained as a mean of facilitating changes in the behavior of the client - is initiated and maintained as a means of facilitating changes in the behavior of the client a process by which a troubled person (client) is helped to feel and behave in a more personally satisfying manner through interaction with an involved person (the counsellor); who provides information and reactions that stimulate the clients to develop behaviours which enable him to deal more effectively with himself and his environmental. Guidance and counselling in schools, therefore is a concerted effort by the counsellor which is aimed at rendering assistance in educational, vocational and personal social areas of life for clients (students ) wholesome development and adjustment. Anagbogu (2002) thus, defines it as a process; of helping individuals towards overcoming obstacles to his/her personal growth which could be educational, vocational, social or personal, wherever it may be encountered. It is a programme of assistance tailored to make the students attain their fullest capacities in wholesome life development. Guidance and counselling enables people to understand selves, accept their ability and use same well and develop potentiality for fullest attainment of aims and adjustments schools. The Counsellor and his Roles in Fostering Sustainable Development The school counsellor is a teacher, a human engineer and a bridge builder across generations. He imbibes and imparts values, histories, cultures, traditions, ethos, etiquettes and norms of people within and outside the environment, where he operates and bequeaths same to the younger generation, as may be stipulated in the curricula. He is a model and indeed provides succor at times of need. He designs the school guidance programmes according to needs, and in such a way that the services should be developmental curative, therapeutic and at the same time preventive against future ugly happenings. In fact, the school guidance programmes in schools are always as good as the Counsellor who mounts them. The programmes serve as an exact mirror of the Counsellor. This emphasizes the need for the Counsellor to be knowledgeable, disciplined, transparent, intellectualistic, and above board in all ramifications of every characteristic dispositions. Riccio and Quaranta in Egbo (2009) write that ensuring an effective counselling service entails: Having a well prepared personal Having an organized counsellor whose times must be devoted to performance of those tastes for which counselors are especially prepared for (and) 248 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
Having adequate facilities and reassurance for the counsellor to do his work. It means therefore, that the counsellor should possess basic good qualities which the American Personal Guidance Association (APGA) in Emenogu (1989) list to include: A belief in each person as an individual A commitment to individual human values An alertness to the world Open mindedness Self understand (and) Professional commitment. Ifelunni (1997) observes that a central and most fundamental role of the counsellor is the assistance given to the clients to underlined self in the areas of education, vocation and personal-social spheres as it is only the counsellor of all the school personnel, that is trained and equipped to counsel in the three mentioned. Uba in Ofojebe (2003) also observes that the school counsellor embarks on a variety of roles and functions that include diagnosis, assessment of the individuals potentials, information services, students orientation, counseling individually and in groups, career education, remediation, in service training, research programmes and handling of drop out problems. The counsellor is always the key figure during counselling sessions and should always be kind hearted, truthful, and respectful. He should be far reaching, open minded, alert, knowledgeable, competent, people oriented, and easily assessable. Ipaye (1993) Egbo (2009) writes that the good counsellor has the following responsibilities and functions: Rendering individual and group counselling as well as guidance services to all students; Providing consultative and coordinating services to students, parents, teachers and other community agencies that have one thing or another to do with the school. Facilitating smooth communication between the school on one hand and the home, the ministry, the teachers, commission/school board, and the larger community on the other hand; relating information to all children when they need it, thus facilitating their decision making. Explaining appraisal information to students, their parents and teachers, and assisting them in making the best possible decision by and about the students. Helping with issues about movement from one class to another or transition from one level to another (and) Keeping the continuous assessment records of children. If all of these roles are played by the counsellor, it is imperative that positive changes in behavior, expected from the students will make them excel in their academic assignments; think right about their vocational aspirations and desires, and act right in their personal and social dealings with others and in their respective environments and societies. That is a way of making them be able to usefully get empowered and contribute to national development. Essence of Guidance and Counselling in Nigerian Education System Education is a continuous process that is not only experiential but also harnesses truths and facts to direct people to live meaningfully, effectively and functionally. It is essential in achieving self actualization and learners look up to schools to help them in actualizing their dreams. The school houses the teachers, among who are the professional counsellors who may not ordinarily be employed to teach, but are professional in counselling the learners, 249 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
individually and in groups. The school does not only provide the intellectual development of the learners but it equally imbibes values, cultures, and ethics that are supposed to pass across generations. Education is a life - long process but guidance is a mere social and personal service meant to direct people in the process of being educated. Both have goals but the scopes of both entail enhancement of human personal development with the aim to live a functional life. In effect, guidance is designed to aid education and bring about wholesome adjustment programmes in academics, vocational, social, psychological and personal spheres of life,. The need for school guidance and counselling programme can not be over emphasized. Egbochukwu (2008) observes that guidance and counselling programmes can be compared with the broom in the home. She explains that the broom in the house is one of the least prized possessions, but the absence of the broom in the home leaves the place with dirts that would make the occupation of the home, uncomfortable. It is imperative therefore, that the absence of counselling in schools would leave the learners with ill orchestrated kinds of behavioural deficits and changes. The provision of guidance and counselling services in schools is designed to help learners understand roles expected of them, understand selves and to make appropriate choices when faced with challenges. Awokoya in Egbo (2009) describes it more succinctly in his belief that without academic and career guidance and counselling in schools, the whole purpose of the achievement of educational objectives cannot be realized. Ipaye (1993), also believes that no matter how good and well structured the new educational policy may be, as it relates to schools, it guidance and counselling services are not given priority, and made an integral part of the system, it cannot succeed. Omoebe (2005) lists the below as the need for guidance and counselling in schools: The need for adjustment The need for individuals to understand self in relation to the situations in which the individual finds himself. The need to direct oneself to present and future conditions The need to cope with contemporary life. The need for development The need to cope with uprising from fundamental patterns of life. The need to help parents towards a healthy development of children \ The essence of counselling cut across the school levels. Every learner at one point or the other needs counselling. The World Health Organization (WHO) in Egbo (2014: 224) contends that analysis of the life skills fields suggest that there is a core set of skills, that are part of the heart of skill based initiatives for the promotion of health and well being of children and adolescents, which include: Problem solving Creative thinking Critical thinking Effective communication Interpersonal relationship Self awareness Empathy Coping with emotions (and) Coping with stress. The implication is that guidance and counselling also teaches life skill development in its bid to create wholesome, functional and useful individuals for the society at large. The counsellor 250 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
is a life skills educator as well as, a human resource engineer. This is because he enables clients to actualize their academic dreams, engineers vocational aspirations and well being and resolves personal-social problems of learners, accordingly. Problems and Prospects of Guidance and counselling in Nigerian Education System Nigeria is a third world West African country. It is a country with a highly distressed economy. This bears heavily on the educations system such that sufficient funding of the education system is a mirage. In the same vein, funding of guidance and counselling programmes come between the teeth. Even though the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) eulogizes education as an instrument of par excellence in national development, many agencies of the governments appear to pay lip services to education, even with the lofty goals of education as stipulated in the National Policy on Education. This affects guidance and counselling too as both education and counselling in schools appear inseparable because good guidance programmes in schools endow excellent academic performances, good personal adjustments, self actualization and healthy social interactions. Corruption and power bigotry make it that today, some states in Nigeria still do not employ full time guidance consellors to champion the academic, vocational and personal social development of the secondary school students. Money and materials meant for school at times appear to develop wings as school infrastructures, including that meant for healthy counselling programmes in schools seem to always disappear leaving school administrators, staff and students to always bemoan the inadequacy of fund, inadequacy of staff, as well as the dearth of requisite facilities. This brings untold hardship on the programmes, more so when at times, people who are not educationists are even appointed into positions that should behave been occupied by only educationists. Its only lawyers that are appointed as ministers and commissioners for justice as well as attorney generals; medical doctors are appointed as ministers and commissioners to man the health ministries, but that is not the same with the ministry of education. It is suspected that corruption has found its way into the education system in Nigeria. This has also affected teachers attitude to the school counsellors as each and every other person is suspect of one thing or the other. The social status of teachers in Nigeria, including counsellors appear to be taking more and more serious nose dive due to impoverished conditions. Secondary school leavers who venture into politics display richness and drive big lustrous cars. Some of such people even join others to develop disregard for teachers who taught them, the fundamentals of politicking. Teachers appear to be left with paltry take home pay that does not take them even close to their door steps. Industrial actions range among the states of Nigeria. Most of which them are instituted due to non regular payment of salaries, non regular promotions and even when promoted, without arrears, to issues of taxation and review of salary structures, among others. All these affect secondary and primary school guidance programmes, and even in the tertiary institutions.. Comparing teachers pay package to that of the Nigerian law makers could make one laugh loud enough to wake the dead. Its like comparing the whole of Lagos, Nigeria with any of the school fields in Lagos too. This makes the politicians for example, among others to look at the teaching field, which includes school counselling as a stepping stone and as an occupation meant for the less connected and less privileged in Nigeria. This, affects not only counselling but also affects the academic performance of students as some teachers and even counsellors seem to at times abandon their duty posts to fight for alternative means of survival. 251 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo
The above makes it impossible at times for students to reveal themselves to counsellors and teachers. In turn, the teachers as well as the public also appear, in some areas to perceive the counsellors as redundant. The high demonological advancement and globalization all around the world today appear to help counselling in Nigeria. Everything here appears to have been commercialized to the detriment of the poor and a click on the google would provide information needed for learners. Learners now do not only get counselled by themselves but they have models whom they look unto in doing particular things. Teachers also help in correcting some of the anomalies in schools. There appears however to be noticeable changes by the recent governments in Nigeria in the area of education. An example is the bail out by the Federal Government to many states including the Osun state of Nigeria, that owe their school workers for more than six months without salary. Its noted therefore that among other gestures, that the prospect of counselling in Nigeria appear bright, despite the numerous problems, if only, school guidance programmes will be given the boost and support desired. Conclusion Nigeria is blessed with technocrats of sorts and well nurtured and natured people. Counselling being a way of propagating progress and development among learners should be encouraged. Maximizing the potentials among learners through counselling programmes should be encouraged. Professional counsellors should be posted to all schools in different segments and levels to enable the proper development and adjustment the learners for sustainable national development in Nigeria. References Anagbogu, M.A. (2002). Foundations of Guidance and cousnelling for colleges and universities. Awka: Academic Publishing Company. Chuhan, S.S. (2009). Principles and techniques of guidance. New Delhi. Vikas Publishing House, PVT Ltd. Egbo, J.O.E. (2009). Performance assessment of secondary school counsellors in Anambra and Enugu States. An unpublished Ph.D thesis, EBSU, Abakaliki. Egbo, J.O.E. (2014). Counselling and life skills education: implications for improved students academic reconstruction. In A. degoke and O. Aluede (eds) Perspectives in Guidance and Counselling. Benin City: Justice-Teco Printing and Publishing Global. Egbochukwu, E.O. (2008). Guidance and Counselling: a comprehensive text. Benin City: UNIBEN press. Emenogu, B.U. (1989). Characteristics of the counsellor in C.C. Nweke (ed) Guidance and Counsellinig: principles and practice. Lagos: Parco Books ltd. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) National policy on education. Lagos: NERDC Press. Ifelunni, I.C.S. (1997). Psychometric and ethical considerations in counselling. Enugu: Auto century Publishers. Ipaye, T. (1993). Guidance and counselling in Nigerian schools. Ibadan: Chayoobi printers and publishers Ofojebe, C.C. (2003). Assessment of competencies possessed by school guidance counsellors in Anambra State: A Ph.D dissertation; NAU, Awka. Omebe, S.E. (2005). Guidance and counselling: a comprehensive approach. Enugu: Cheston Books. 252 JEPER Special Issue John O. E. Egbo