Chapter One
Introduction
Background of the Study
Education is said to be an accumulated
experience that has a determinant effect on human character and mind. As a
process, through which societal values, norms, principles, ethos, and skills
can adequately be conveyed. Individuals need education in order to acquire this
accumulated knowledge (Idowu, 1996). The educational system in Nigeria is not
far from the technical
aspect of education
in that it
is all involving
as a process
of transmitting the societal norms and values toward the development of
the nation. An overview of the colonial
educational system provided, revealed gross inadequacy and unsatisfactory to
the educational ingenuity, yearnings and aspirations of the nation (Nwaokolo,
2006). Thus many scholars opined that this formal educations was parochial,
elitist, regurgitate and irresponsive to the need and aspirations of the
Nigerian society. In view of these, an effort to put quality
into the Nigerian Education resulted in instituting a well
define educational system that
will be instrumental in affecting national
development. It is believed that education goals in terms of its
relevance to the need of the individual as well as in terms of the kind of
society desired in relation to the environment and realities of the modern world
and rapid social changes should be clearly set out (National Policy on Education, 2004).
The bid to meet the nation’s educational
goals and aspiration brought about the 6-3-3-4 system of education. It was
designed to restructure and inject functionality into the nations’ school
system. The 6-3-3-4 system of education was seen as a creditable programme able
to bring about effective changes in the direction of technological development
in a nation (Olayinka, 1993).
Guidance and counselling was therefore
incorporated into the school system and it happens to be one of the
developments in the field of Education in Nigeria. It became popular with the
introduction of the 6-3-3-4 educational system. The essence of incorporating
guidance and counseling into the school system was to eliminate overwhelming
ignorance of many young people on their choices of career prospects and personality
maladjustment among school children. Based on these and more, career officers
and counselors were appointed to take the responsibilities in sensitizing students
on the needs for effective career choice (Idowu, 1996).
Today, guidance and counselling has
gained prominence in the Nigerian educational system and many people are
getting interested in the guidance of youth in making wise educational,
vocational and personal/social decisions and this is consequent upon the
expansion of counselling activities in Nigeria and the need to form a larger
association to embrace both counsellors and career masters. To facilitate
efficient management of guidance and counselling services in Nigeria secondary
schools, guidance and counselling personnel are being trained in the tertiary
institutions and sent to schools to deliver these services. Also, basic courses
in guidance and counselling feature in all teachers-education programmes.
With the highlighted changes in the
Nation’s educational system, the need for guidance and counselling services in
Nigerian secondary schools became more glaring. Consequently, Guidance and Counselling
Services became an integral and essential component of the educational process
for all students as they progress through the educational system. Against this
background therefore, the focus of the study is to evaluate the guidance and
counselling practice in primary schools in Delta State.
Statement of the Problem
It is assumed that with the increasing
complexities in the society, industrial and technological development all going
hand-in-hand, the succeeding generation will find it difficult to adjust themselves
both to the society, work, family and schools. Failures in proper adjustment to
all the facets mentioned could affect the education of young people and expose
them to environmental as well as personal problems in development. Guidance and
Counselling, as a delivery service, should not be misconstrued as the
traditional type that is based on the principles of “to guide, to direct on a
course, to enlighten, or to assist”. This traditional type of counselling was
principally carried out in African setting by heads of families, Priests, and
church leaders (Olayinka and Omoegun, 2001). Because of the complex nature of
Nigerian society, the counselling profession has assumed a wider role. Present day
Guidance and counselling is based on the process of helping individuals understand
themselves which will lead to the better understanding of the other aspect of
their lives (Egbochuku, 2008).
For students to be properly informed,
they need the assistance of trained guidance and counselling personnel. Hence,
the government made it a policy that guidance and counselling should feature in
teacher-education programmes because teachers are closer to the students.
Furthermore, the department of Guidance and Counselling has been established in
most Nigeria Universities to train counsellors at the B.Sc., Master and PhD
levels, to equip them with the appropriate counselling techniques to carry out
guidance and counselling services in schools. The problem of the study pose as
a question is: how effective is the guidance and counselling practice in
primary schools in Delta State.
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