interview

By Ujunwa Atueyi

Professor of Counselling and Psychology in the Department of Educational Foundations, University of Lagos, Ngozi Osarenren, decided to go for a Masters degree in Guidance and Counselling rather than Educational Psychology, upon being counseled by a former Dean of Education and Head of Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Calabar. Today, she harbours no iota of regret as that decision has brought her so much good fortune. In this interview with UJUNWA ATUEYI, the former Edo State Commissioner for Education explains why counselling services remains a sine qua non in the educational system as well as the imperatives of strengthening the counseling units at all tiers of education in the country. Excerpts:

CAN you give us an overview of Guidance and Counselling?

Guidance and Counselling refers to a specialised help given to individuals in both school and non-school settings, which enhances their effectiveness in whatever they do. A professional guidance and counsellor assists people to make a realistic choice from desirable alternatives; put their innate potentials and assets to good use, so that in the long run it would be the foundation for functioning as a fully well adjusted members of the society.

Generally, it entails giving services to troubled but normal people, people who have challenges that they find troubling and they need to get somebody to discuss with objectively, somebody that will give them suggestions of desirable alternatives, help them see the true picture of their situation, and not someone that will tell them what they want to hear.

A well-trained professional counsellor will tell you what you ought to hear, and that is also why in this profession, we insist that counselling should be done for free.

How important is career guidance counseling to the average student?

The National Policy on Education recognises the importance of guidance and counselling as one of the educational services expected to be in the school system. Government in highlighting this concludes that in view of the apparent ignorance of many young people about career prospects, and in view of personality maladjustment among children, career officers and counsellors should be appointed in post primary institutions.

It is incumbent on the counsellor to be available for individuals experiencing developmental and adjustment needs, from the time of the individuals initial entry into the educational system and throughout the individuals formal education, because as we grow, our attitudes, values, and beliefs change. So, career guidance is supposed to be compulsory in all schools and each school should have a practicing professional counsellor. But many schools do not have, and even in some schools where you have them, they still teach counselling solely.

So, it is very important to engage such services since it cuts across three domains, that is the educational, vocational, personal/social domains. In some cases we have seen students who ordinarily would have ended up not doing well, but because of the dedication and diligence of counsellors, they are able to improve. That is why it is very important to have at least a counsellor in all our schools, starting from primary schools, where they offer what is called developmental guidance, which is very important. By the time we have counsellors in our schools, we will definitely have students of our desire in the society, students that would eventually become fully functioning members of the society.

The practice of career counselling in Nigeria is getting less glamorous and even students go through schools without seeking the services of any. Why is this so?