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EVALUATION OF GUIDANCE & COUNSELING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

Nigeria as Africa’s most populous country has attracted the interests of local and international academics and researchers due to its attendant challenges. There seem to have been frequent changes in her education policy due to search of improvement and upgrading of these policies that have in one way or the other affected its curriculum contents, mode of teaching, quality, quantity and remuneration of teachers, students attitude to internal and external examinations, types of schools as well as financial aid from government, non-governmental agencies and international bodies. Education in a general sense is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training or research (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2014). The learning process involves teachers output, student’s receptive and assimilative patterns, the subject matter being imparted and the application of guidance and counselling programmes that influences students behaviour. Education in Nigeria is provided by public and private institutions in rural and urban areas and it is a shared responsibility of federal, state and local governments. The federal government manages the tertiary institutions, state government – secondary and local government primary education.

Education system as stated in Wikipedia Encyclopedia (2014) involves institutionalized teaching and learning in relation to a curriculum established according to a predetermined purpose of a school system. Nigeria operates Universal Basic Education system of 9-3-4 basic which replaced 6- 3-3-4 and 6-5-4 systems of education (World Education News and Reviews, 2014). The 9-3-4 system of education is divided into sub-sections which includes; Basic – 9 years of 6 years primary school for children under the age of 6 – 12 and 3 years for junior secondary school; post basic is a 3 years of senior secondary education in either an academic or technical stream; tertiary or university education is 4 years to 7 years.

Nigeria has a population of over 150 million people out of which 30 million are student’s (Onyukwu, 2011). Part of the 30 million students is secondary school students in secondary schools which attracts the attention of this study. Secondary education is a transition from compulsory primary education (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2014). The transition stage is what makes the secondary school a crucial stage in the lives of students and it is from there they proceed to higher school (Osadebe, 2005, p.150). This is why according to him, guidance and counselling programmes should be promoted in schools. The movement from one stage to the next in the system is further enhanced and made easier by the appreciation of the existence of guidance and counselling programmes and its roles (Arijesuyo, 2012) in assisting to achieve the objectives of total quality education as indicated in the 9-3-4 Basic Education System.

Guidance and counselling programmes is an educational service that compliments instructions, administrations and other components (Arijesuyo, 2012, p.39) of the secondary school systems. The programmes are specialised and organized activities rendered to students for the dissemination of meaningful information in the area of personal-social, educational and vocational needs that assist them to make choices. Some of these programmes include orientation, career day or week, guidance clubs, guidance games, walks visits, group or individual counselling, counselling team model, excursion, seminars and workshops for parents, teachers and students (Oladele, 1987, p.100-104) and others.

Among the programmes enumerated, counselling emerges as a major service in guidance programme that brings the counsellor and the client in intimate relationships with a view to establishing confidentiality that aids clients to assess self and available potentials gemmate towards appreciative decision making. Counselling consists of wide range procedures viz: advice giving, encouragement, information giving, tests interpretation and psychoanalysis (Shertzer and Stone, 1974, p.18). These programmes are aimed at assisting individual students achieved a balance personality; physical, emotionally, intellectually, socially and vocationally based on individual needs (Fakolade, 2008; Oyo State Government 2005 in Isuigo – Abanihe and Odeniyi, 2011, p.40). (Oladele, 1987, p.96-97) further stated the objectives of guidance and counselling programmes in behavioural terms as being able to:

i.  Provide the personal, social and career counselling to promote student’s emotional health and adjustment in school and intelligent career decisions and plans.

ii.  Identify and nurture of the talented and gifted students.

iii.  Rehabilitate the disabled. iv. Conduct annual orientation programmes for new students and periodic orientation for senior students.

iv.  Administer standardized and locally adopted psychological tests for diagnosis.

These behavioural objectives are subsumed in the central importance of these professional education services which (Arijesuyo, 2012, p.38) suggested that the success of the whole educational package rest on the successful implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in schools. The relevance of these programmes was widely acclaimed to help students have better plans (Osadebe, 2005, p.158) and hence its inclusion in the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) that first emanated in the 6-5-2-3, 6-3-3-4 and finally in 9-3-4, basic systems of education. Isuigo-Abanihe and Odeniyi (2011, p.41) reported Emeke (2004), Odeniyi (2011), Yusuf (2009) and Akinboye (1999) in a series of studies as saying that social vices like cheating in examination, truancy, sexual abuse, telling lies and poor academic performance are the prevalent effects of lack of and poor implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in secondary schools. These aforementioned deviations are capable of reducing the standard and quality that education system ought to provide. To correct these anomalies the study sought to investigate the evaluation of the extent to which guidance and counselling programmes are implemented in secondary schools; as these programmes are meant to facilitate students right choices and decision that could move them from secondary to higher education.

Evaluation is a judgment that determines human behaviour (Osadebe, 2005, p.154) and the extent to which objectives of a programme are being achieved (Gronlund, 1985 in Osadebe, 2005, p.145). In another development, evaluation is adjudged to be a formalized periodic activity set to appraise or assess what has happened in relation to the stated objectives of a given programme. This definition makes it explicit that evaluation is one of the services that determines the effectiveness of guidance programmes which serves as a means of examining what and how students think, feel and react about guidance programmes through the use of various validated and reliable techniques in form of observation, rating scales, anecdotal records and questionnaire. Its relevance is in its ability to measure the worth and impacts of a guidance programmes to students, teachers, parents, school administrators and other significant personnel in the schools and communities.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Guidance and counselling programmes is essential ingredient required for standardization and achievement of the objectives of Nigerian education. It however seems that little or no attention is given to these services in some private and public schools in either urban or rural areas. The neglect of such programmes as career day or week, orientation of new intakes, excursions to historical places and others may have resulted to our students performing poorly, making wrong career decisions and not able to ascend from secondary to higher education. The aforementioned submission is what necessitated this study in attempting to proffer answer to these questions – what the extent or degree of implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in secondary schools and if there are differences in the implementation of these programmes in public and private secondary schools in urban and rural areas in Kaduna State of Nigeria.

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to evaluate guidance and counselling in secondary schools. Specific objectives include;

i.  To determine the extent to which guidance and counselling programmes were implemented in secondary schools.

ii.  To determine if there is difference in the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in public and private secondary schools.

iii.  To determine if there is difference in the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in urban and rural secondary schools.

1.4       Research Questions

i.  Is there an extent to which guidance and counselling programmes where implemented in in secondary schools?

ii.  Is there a difference in the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in public and private schools?

iii.  Is there a difference in the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in secondary schools in urban and rural areas?

1.5       Research Hypotheses

Hypothesis I

H0: There is no significant difference in public and private secondary schools’ implementation of guidance and counselling programmes.

Hi: There is a significant difference in public and private secondary schools’ implementation of guidance and counselling programmes.

Hypothesis II

H0: There is no significant difference in urban and rural secondary schools’ implementation of guidance and counselling programmes.

Hi: There is a significant difference in urban and rural secondary schools’ implementation of guidance and counselling programmes.

1.6       Significance of the Study

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.7       Scope of the Study

This study will be restricted to students of selected secondary schools in Kaduna State.

1.8       Limitations of the study

Financial constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.8       Definition of Terms

Counseling: Is an enlightened process whereby people help other by encouraging their growth. That is help to properly understand themselves, their environment and the problems that are causing a high rate of concern.

Counselor: Is an expert in his area of specialization and also has cultivated skills in helping people understand their situation clarity their values and make informed decision for which they assume responsibilities.

Education:      Is the process of acquiring knowledge and skill so as to prepare an individual to live happily with himself and others in the society in which he lives.

Guidance: This is the process of helping a client to understand himself and his environment, understanding himself in terms of his interest, needs, fears, anxieties and general personality. He also understands is environment in terms of rules and regulations that must be obeyed to avoid any punishment.

Aptitude: Natural tendency or talent or acquired skill which is assumed to underline and is conducive to an individual capacity to learn and attain a level of achievement in specific field.

Achievement: Performance in school or college in a standardize series of educational tests.

Capability: Ability to learn and to something

Career: Way of making a living i.e one’s occupation or profession.

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