EVALUATION OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING PROGRAMME IN SOME SELECTED SCHOOLS

Guidance and counselling is a field of study that has been introduced in our school curriculum in order to produce professionally trained personnel who will render retentive and problem solving services to individuals or group in all area of life shows that its services are needed almost every where both hospitals, nursing home, rehabilitation centre, schools, banks, social welfare’ units, police stations, church and mosque e.t.c although here in Nigeria, the services of guidance and counselling is most pronounced in the schools.

The knowledge of guidance and counseling is most pronounce who practically applied to students to guide tern against problem that might arise due to wrong decision making and action and also aim at proffering solution to existing problems.

The existence of guidance “and counselling can be said to be as old as mankind, right from creation, man has never been all-knowing; he lacks knowledge in one things or the other and there fore seeks help from other people towards the solution of his problems.

Traditionally, the importance of guidance and counselling can not be over emphasized people sought for advice and help from other who are more knowledgeable, experienced or rise from solution of their problems, the traditional counselling could be those men and women who possessed supernatural power of healing, foreseeing the future and mediating between man and the god, these people served as consultant and then preferred solution to most of the problem brought before them due to the simplicity of man and his environment then.

However, due to the complexity of the environment and the society at large, the overall philosophy and objectives of the nation of the word, the service provided by the traditional counseling apparently become inadequate. Various problems and confusion are encountered by people in all areas of human Endeavour as Rocher (1991 .1) notes;

This fact makes tend to have professionally trained guidance and counseling personnel in all works of life especially in our Educational institution very compelling this win minimized what would have been in mistakes to a very minimal and bearable degree.

From the aforesaid, there is no doubt that the realization of our Education institution objectives depends mostly on a full guidance and counseling programme. The Federal Government of Nigeria is realized its immense importance of therefore is regarded it’s as a vital tool for the realization of the national objective and clearly state in that National Policy on Education that;

Base on this, “counseling is expected to be on integral cost effective component of the Educational process aimed at curbing wastage of talent and enhancing appropriate decision making and personal adjustment”

According to Denga (1986) “it was also envisaged tat by 1980, a school in Nigeria”.

However, in spite of this laudable gesture by the Federal Government and the higher expectation and aspiration of people, there seen to have been no impressive impact of Educational institution. Many students clue to parental, peer groups, societal (environmental) influenced among other reasons make devastating mistakes that hamper their happiness in life and add to the already existing societal problem.

It is therefore very pertinent that most of the ill and vice in our society should be check through our institutions of learning to achieve this effort should be made to improve the situation through guidance and counseling programme school especially in our secondary school where most of the Educational and societal problems have their foundation.

To this effort therefore, the Federal Government of Nigeria come up with the National policy on Education with, emphasis on the introduction of guidance and counseling in our schools. This fact gives rise to this study which focuses attention on the evaluation of guidance and counseling programmes in secondary school in Nasarawa state.

According to the information made available by Mallam A. in his book titled “Guidance and counselling beginners guidance (page 11) (2000) the practice of guidance and counselling is not new in the society right from the creation and early time, the need for man to exist well in his society and satisfy his wants have been there, man exist in ignorance and when guided, he performs and achieves his optimum goals.

Also in the traditional society our fore fathers practiced guidance and counselling, they led their children through a vocation e.g Fishing, caving, weaving and wood cutting.

But modem guidance and counselling as practiced now in our school system originated for America in the Late Eighteen ninety (1890s). It started with complicated environment force couple with social force such as Family disorganization, mental / health movement programme the increasing student population problem who terribly, literogeneous terms of their learning readiness, professional and psychological worries and many other problems that live of the people.

Frank Parson of Boston viewed the above problem and saw the need for starting a vocational guidance in 1908 whom today is regarded as the Father of guidance. Frank Parson wrote a book on choosing a career or a vocation in 1909.

In his book parson (1908) outlined the three phases in dealing with problems of vocational choice as follows;

1)    Knowing the person: through understanding of the person through the data collected about him or her.

2)    Knowing the job: Understanding the work and the nature of the desired job entry requirement, condition for advancement and other remunerations.

3)    Making a match between the person and job based on a reasoned consideration of the two factor above

Another notable contributor to the movement was Jessie B. Danes who applied the process of career in choice laid down by person to locate himself in teaching profession. In addition he emphasized the development of character in his book, moral and vocational guidance services in settle Washington where she helped students to excel in the stiff competition to find a place in life since then guidance and counselling as a discipline has been adopted in many countries of the word including Nigeria by Annay Reed established.

However, the development of guidance and counselling in Nigeria according to Mallam A. Yakubu (2000) is started at the close of 1959 when a group of reverend Irish sisters at St. Theresa’s college, Oko-Ado, ion Ibadan saw the need for vocational guidance of the final year school. Certificate female student of their college. Then invited twenty (20) outsiders who were Government officials from the ministries and some prominent men from Ibadan community to advice them on placing of sixty (60) of their girls leaving school that December, 1959. These men were not trained counselors but they definitely know more about the emerging word of work than the students and the religious sisters. This led to the establishment of Ibadan career council in 1961. The same body became Nigeria career council in 1967.

According to Akingboye (1907) and Donga (1983) can be traced back to the effort of the publication in 1977 of the National policy on Education which under scoped the need for the programme. It also outlined its significance toward the effective implementation of the Nation’s now Education policy the 6-3-34 system.

This new system of Education gives the students an ample opportunity to use the first three years of secondary school Education to explore all the subject areas both in art and, science to determine where be or she fits in well. The student is also exposed to different vocations to make himself retired after his Education. Thus, the formation of guidance and counselling body called Nigeria career counselling in 1967 for the dissemination of career information and attending to problems relevant to careers. So to support this white man in 1961 to serve in the Federal ministry of Education.

This source has it that this official gesture went a long way to stimulate and guidance and counselling in the then western Nigeria which has already established an advised teachers collage at Ibadan that the fist worship on vocational guidance and counselling in Nigeria was organized in 1961 by the Federal ministry of Education.

From all indication, it can be deduced that the first indigenous few fledge department of guidance and counselling in Nigeria started at the University of 1.badan in 1975 and the inauguration of the counselling association of Nigeria (CASSON) in 1967 at the some university.

Today, one is glad to observe that many universities in Nigeria – Ibadan, Jog, Ilorin, Nsuka, Benin, Zaria, Abuja, among other have programmes for training of guidance and counselling specialists.

However, there are still some teaching problems militating against its defective’s growth. Examples of those problems are: – Lack of fund, lack of office accommodation, and shortage of training counselors and so on this is fully described in chapter two.

The emergence of guidance and counselling in our Educational systems is very timely given the type of society we found ourselves. Despite it’s a numerous advantages to the systems, the discipline if aced with a lot of problems which are militating against its effective – hence this research undertake her research work to evaluate the guidance and counselling programme in some selected secondary schools in Lafia area inspectorate office, Nasarawa state.

To do this the researcher will seek the answer to:

1)    Area the trained personnel available?

2)    Area the necessary facilities to make the job of the guidance and counselling effectives provided?

This study is intended to evaluate the guidance and counselling programmed in secondary schools under study. To achieve her objective, the researcher will critically examine the way and manner the programme is run in the state so- as to:

1.     Determine the extent of development of the programme in the area under study

2.     Identify the major factor affecting the performance in the state.

3.     Gives suggestion on how to improves on the programme.

This study is important because if diligently carried out will serve as a tool to identify the extreme of development of guidance and counselling programme in the state and identify the major fact that hampers its effectives utilization as one of the Educational for services iii the realization of the Nation objective utilization as and goal. The result of the finding will direct all individual or group to the contribute positively to the realization of the general objective of the new Educational objectives.

So for, the students; this research wok will make him enhance and self fulfillment because it will help him to appreciate the guidance and counselling services and to use it to achieves his life goals.

For the parents this research work Will makes tern to re-organized themselves and modify their demands and expectation on the students in the light of changing friend in the society.

For the principal it will make him realized that guidance and counseling is a relevant tool to the realization of Education objectives as contained in the 6-3-3-4 system of Education. It will also help him to maintain and evaluate attitudes of student to words the performance. The principal promotes guidance programme for his school e.g he present the proposals and report to the Government through the ministry of Education on the require for guidance service in his school.

For Teacher, it will enable him know his defined roles in the Education of the student and avoid duplication of efforts. For Government, it will help to have first hand information on the handicaps of the schools and striver to provide necessary assistance for effective guidance and counselling programmes.

In the course of study, the following are question will be answered.

i.                   How Qualified are the counselor?

ii.                 Do counselor have enough facilities to work with

iii.              Are student willing to visit the counselors.

iv.              What is the relationship between the counselor and their colleagues in the school?

v.                 Is there enough fund for the counselors to discharge their professional duties.

In this study, the researcher assumes that:

i.                   There are inadequate trained counselors in Nasarawa state.

ii.                 There is low level of awareness of the existence and the importance of the programme among the students in the area under study.

iii.              Counselor lacks private office accommodation and other necessary facilities.

iv.              There is no enough funds and time allocated to counselling is hardly adequate.

The researcher intends to evaluate the guidance and counselling programme in some selected secondary in Loko Development Area office Nasarawa states.

For effectiveness some school were randomly selected in Loko Development Area inspectorate office. They are:

i.                   Government secondary school Loko

ii.                 Government Junior secondary school Loko

iii.              Government secondary school Aisa

iv.              Government secondary school Aza

However, the target population is restricted to senior secondary school SSS 1-3

For the purpose of clarification and easy understanding, the researcher has chosen, to define some of the terms used in this study as they relate to Education.

GUIDANCE:- Is assistance made available by personally qualified and adequately trained man and woman to an individual of any age to help him manage his own activities, develop his own point of views, maker his own decision and carry his own burden” Crow and Crew (1960).COUNSELLING: – A process by which a person with problem is helped by a professional counselor or voluntarily change his behaviour clarify his attitude, Ideas and goals so that his problem may be solved” Idowu (1986). It is a one to one face to face in relationship between a counselor and a client.

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING: – This is an Educational service given to the student to help them most their need, aspirations, objectives and goals.

COUNSELLOR: – One who is professionally trained and qualified to provide help toward solving the problem of a trouble person who cannot cope with his problem alone and need a qualified person to

In this chapter the researcher review related literature that covers:

1.     The need for evaluation

2.     Concepts of guidance and counselling

3.     Objectives and goals of guidance and counselling

4.     Type of guidance service

5.     Qualities of a counselor

6.     Function of the school counselor

7.     Pertinent opinion guidance and counselling on the;

a.     Need for guidance and counseling services

b.     Problem that hinder the effectiveness of guidance and counselling programme in Nigeria schools.

In all area of human endeavours, evaluation of the past and present action is done so as to improve in future pursuits. Citizen of a nation utilize evaluation process in judging and making decision concerning many areas of life, salaries promotion, job termination, retirement among other event at home people evaluate their life styles and make necessary changes and decision concerning the improvement of the families.

In the institution of learning, students teachers, (…) and institution programme are periodically evaluated so as to maintain or improve on Educational system

The scenarios above show that evolution is a driver so activity which people do everyday. Thus Unachukwu and lgborgbor (1.99 I) defined

Evaluation as a process for appreciating the value of effectiveness of a programme or activity”, to this effect, they identify the following as the need for evaluating of guidance and counselling.

                   I.      To discover any loopholes and limitation of guidance and counseling programme and effort made towards remedying it.

                II.      To ascertain how true or other wise certain acclamation of the importance of guidance and counselling programme is through the establishment of evidence.

Form the foregoing; there are two prominent characteristics of evaluation.

i.                   It involves judgment of work and value and

ii.                 It is related to the decision making process.

Therefore, there is the need to periodically evaluate our Educational programmes, which guidance and counselling is one, if the aim and objectives of Education are to be achieved especially in the 6-3-3-4 system to the effect, Ezeugu (1911) remarks unless programme are properly evaluated, education will have no basic for decision making on opinion, Unachukwu and Igbobor (1991) in a specific from says, “Evaluation of guidance programme is an important part of any on-going guidance activity” it is only through a systematic and continuous programme of evaluation. That the guidance services in any guidance and counselling setting can improve and grow.

Summarily, evaluation en be said to be carried out to asses extent to which set objective have been achieved in order to effect necessary change for improvement.