Guidance

 

INTRODUCTION

A. Guidance, Is the process of helping an individual to gain self-understanding, self-direction, and to adjust maximally to the environment (Biswalo, 1996). This help is designed to assist people in deciding where they want to go, what they want to do, how to get to their destination, and how to solve problems arising in their life. Guidance is an umbrella term embracing counselling services, appraisal services, information services, referral services, research and evaluation services, all of which help an individual to grow in self-understanding and consequently in making wise decisions for best adjustment, Sima (2006). Guidance as a concept as well as a process According to Arbuckle et al. (1966) Guidance is a concept as well as a process. As a concept guidance is concerned with the optimal development of the individual. As a process guidance helps the individual in self-understanding (understanding one ‘s strengths and limitations) and in self-direction (ability to solve problems, make choices and decision onone‘s own).

  The Meaning of Counselling

Despite the fact that the terms guidance and counselling are used interchangeably, but both terms have different meaning. In a family, parents counsel their children, doctors counsel patients, lawyers to clients and teachers to students. Counselling is a mutual relationship between a counsellor who is a professionally trained helper, and a client who is a consumer of counselling services. Therefore, Counselling is a professional relationship between a counsellor who is professionally trained and a client (counsellee) who is seeking help to resolve a problem. (Okech and Ngumba 1991).

 CHARACTERISTICS OF COUNSELLING:

According to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) 2002, the definition of Counselling emphasizes many features of counselling such as:

Counselling takes place in the confidential environment, Counselling is a two-way process, Counselling is the private relationship, there is a mutual relationship between the two individuals, Counselling is a professional relationship i.e. one of the two must be trained to assist practicing, Counselling does not involve giving advice.

  BASIC PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE THE PRACTICES OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

                  Guidance services are for all people. A programme of guidance services is potentially intended for all people and not only those who have problems.  Students, staff, the community and other agencies may benefit directly from a programme of guidance services. Even if an individual is not experiencing educational, vocational or personal-social problems, such a person may need some help or to be motivated to plan his life more meaningfully. In a real life situation, each individual often experiences one type of problem or the other although he may not be aware of or even admit he needs help. For example, students who perform creditably in academic subjects may need motivation to be achievement-oriented. A clever boy or girl may become an under-achiever if he or she is not working to his/her full potentiality. Every student is welcome to seek guidance although some students may need it

more than others.

                Guidance services are voluntary and not by force or coercion. The students may be persuaded but not forced to participate in a counselling encounter.  Shy and reluctant clients may be referred to the counsellor by their parents, teachers, friends or other significant persons, but the counselor has no right to force a client to come for counselling.

                 Guidance services are for all school levels. Appropriate types of counselling techniques should be fashioned to suit the needs of counselling at primary school, junior secondary school and post-secondary institutions of our educational system. Counsellors should realize that the type of problems and concerns of the clients differ from one age to the other cycle needs guidance and counselling. For example, young pupils need developmental guidance designed for a healthy academics, vocational, moral and social adjustment. The adolescent students have their peculiar developmental guidance needs for preparation to adult roles in the work, sex and marriage. Adults, too need counselling to cope with adult life problems.

           Guidance services are aimed primarily at preventing problems than solving them. The popular saying “prevention is better than cure” is a good slogan for counsellors. The primary goal of a counselor is to prevent major problems from occurring. In life situations, however, problems still occur which the school should deal with to assist his clients.

               Guidance services do not provide solution to all human problems. Unresolved problems can be referred to more competent agencies for possible solution; guidance is not a cure for all problems. The counsellor should recognise his limitations and promptly refer clients to other agencies whose services will better meet the needs of the clients which the counsellor has identified.

              Guidance services must ensure the security and confidentiality of a personal information revealed either directly by the client during the counseling interview or through data collection process. Confidential information should only be shared with others with the consent of the client or if to do so will serve the interest of the client and the law of the land. If a client

confides in the counsellor that he or she committed one type of crime, the counsellor should strongly persuade him/her to stop such a criminal act he should not report the confidential information to the police or even to the principal. A counsellor should not betray trust and confidentiality which the counsellee has in him.

              Guidance services should be rendered on a continuous basis. As a person grows up, his needs, interest, goals, aspirations and plans may also change Guidance services should not be a once and for all affairs but should follow up the developmental pattern of an individual as much as it is feasible.

               Guidance services should recognise the worth and dignity of an individual client. Counsellors should accept their clients with empathy, understanding, congruence and unconditional positive regard as postulated by Carl Rogers. Other school personnel, such as members of the school disciplinary committee, may be inclined to summarily dismiss a student due to his short comings or violation of schools regulations, guidance services focus on the

reformation of the offender and the need to plan for alternative behaviour for the client to adopt. Thus, the counsellor holds a positive and patient view that most individuals with maladaptive behaviours could change through adequate learning process.

             Guidance services are based on the total development of mental vocational, emotional and personal social aspect of an individual intellectual development alone is limiting. The cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the individuals are all important and should emphasized.

             Guidance services may manipulate the environment to help the client consideration for employment opportunities. The counsellor may intervene on behalf of his client, to seek for scholarship or prevent other persons from frustrating him.

B. Now a day’s guidance has become much more essential for students, administrators, educators and for the common people as it helps them to meet various needs of life. So that it would be worthwhile to discuss the reasons stated as below for which guidance service is encouraged in schools and colleges of our country with a special status of its own.

            Guidance is needed in helping total development of the pupils:In general, the existing system of education takes much attempts to develop intellectual aspect of the pupil through teaching process which goes in the school. Only this sincere job of school does neglect other aspects of pupils which are to be developed.

In the present schooling system, the innate potentialities, abilities, interests, skills, values of the students are not taken into considerations which do not invite total development of the pupils. So much more attention should be paid by the teachers or guidance personnel’s to understand the pupil first and his innate abilities and talents then by which goals of guidance is achieved.

Without the support of guidance service in the school it is not at all possible to study, understand, and offer attention to pupil and his hidden talents keeping in view the individual differences among the students. That is why the need of guidance service is highly felt for the total development of the pupils for the sake of personal and social benefits.

            Guidance is needed to enable students to proper choices of their educational career at different stages:Very often it is found that most of the students go on rushing to the school without choosing a suitable course by which later on they become disappointed. Because they become unable to have a better choice regarding educational courses and syllabus. Naturally these students become way ward and frustrated as they do not receive a better suited course for their further study.

For example, after completion of the high school education a student has to keep his feet in certain possible courses such as vocational courses, higher level of academic courses of study to enter into the first-degree classes in the college or university etc.

It is sure to say that each and every individual student is a better kind of asset for family as well as society. So that no result or gain will be possible if any student does not go for better choice, preference and selection of courses after completion of ten years of high school education. In this context guidance service in the school comes forward to enable and guide students to choose proper and suitable courses for their future to achieve goal successfully and systematically.

At the same time school guidance services provide sufficient educational and occupational information’s about dif­ferent educational and vocational possibilities for the students. Besides this a good guidance service makes students smart and cautious enough to have a better choice for educational and voca­tional courses and develops self-concept, self-knowledge, self-choice for job within them which shows them real path to achieve real goal of life.

Guidance is needed to help students in choosing, preparing for, entering into a better career: The present society has become more complex and day by day where change IS treated as a common characteristic of the modern society. To survive in the existing society has become a risky job for everybody. In the continuing social set up it has become a hard task for the student to choose and prepare himself for a suitable oc­cupation as the existing world is dominated by rapid change in industrial set up, changing market conditions, the change of para professional occupations and change in many other govt., and private service set up.

So that it is not easy to find out a suitable job keeping in view the nature of job, satisfaction in job, financial and other available facilities. In this context school guidance ser­vice provides a package of available information’s, scope and prospectus about the various jobs which offers satisfactory hints to achieve occupation goal after entering in to a job by better selection and preparation for it.

It is also observed that most of the students are first generation learners those who are deprived of required occupational guidance due to weak family background and lack of experienced personnel’s guidance. To overcome these problems guidance service organised in the school comes to picture to provide sufficient information’s to students to have a judicious selection for the suitable job in the world of works.

Guidance is needed for the vocational development of the students: No credit will go to an individual if he simply joins somewhere in a particular job. Because an individual has to achieve success and satisfaction through various stages from starting point to its end. So guidance service offered in the school not only helps to the students to know their innate abilities, interests, and efficiencies but also it assists the students to make aware of the world of work. Availing this guidance service in the school, students achieve vocational development in the field of vocation utilizing the previous knowledge received in the school campus.

Guidance is needed to help students for better school adjustment: Really school is a new set-up for a fresh and new student where he has to face different situations unlike home. So he has to tackle the situation properly which will make him well adjusted in the school. But the question of maladjust­ment comes in case of a student if he fails to know how to study, how to prepare for tests, how to adjust with class mates and teachers etc. That is why school guidance service is urgently needed to make students well-adjusted in the school situations.

Guidance is needed to help students for better home adjustments: Family is the first smallest society of child which acts as the first school of the child. Generally, it includes parents, brothers, sisters and other related members. Here the life of the child begins and the grows in the same surroundings. Also, child spends most of his times in the family where he has to adjust and cooperate properly with parents, siblings and other members of the family.

Just after four- or five-years child starts on going to the school, where he gets much scope to adjust with the new circumstances. Besides that sometimes child does not adjust in the family situation and faces adjustment problems. Due to this reason school guidance service helps the child how to adjust in the home and with family members smoothly.

Guidance is needed to supplement the efforts of family: The present society undergoes certain changes due to rapid industrialization, political and social changes in the occupa­tional structure, population explosion, science and technological development, need and demands of modern life including growing complexity of life and effect and pressure of home etc.

Being a primary institution, home takes initiative to provide all sorts of supports and help to child. But due to rapid social changes home is not in position to offer adequate service to the child. Because almost all the members of family generally busy in their own work and get less time to guide the child.

On the other hand, parents and other well-wishers may not be able to give adequate guidance to child as they are ignorant about up to date information’s of new careers, and courses in relation to occupation and education. To satisfy this purpose school starts guidance service to supple­ment the efforts of home for the betterment of the students.

Guidance is needed to reduce the mismatching between education and employment and to help for best use of man power: Today, as never before, thousands of youngsters with certain diplomas and degrees are applying for employment for the purpose of their engagement. But unfortunately, they are not opting for a service which does not command any relevance to the job specification.

At the same time the number of the applicants for service is much more in comparison to the vacancy of the post. So it is an unnecessary wastage of time and money that the youngsters are coming to the floor of job having no ef­ficiency and interest for the job. In this context school guidance service offers valuable advices regarding well suited job for the and to utilize man power properly by which both the individual and as well as society gets maximum benefits.

Guidance is needed to help students from weaker section of society for their school and social adjustments: In most of the cases it is observed that students from weaker sections of the society do not adjust and cooperate with school situations and society. They are having innumerable problems and needs relating to their socio-economic status, family back­ground, educational and occupational status etc.

Due to these causes they face difficulties in adjustment with peers, senior mates; junior mates, teachers of school and social environment. Also they do not feel active and sound in communicating, making friends, gaining knowledge from class room teachings, participat­ing in different co-curricular activities set by school. So that guidance service is required to motivate and encourage these students to adjust better in school and his environments.

Guidance is needed to help students to make best possible use of extra times besides school hours:“Time and tide wait for none” is a common saying—which gives hints is not to mutualize time. So that every student should make best, possible use of extra times which he gets after school hours. Really mis-utilization of time leads to the failure in both academic prosperity and personal development of the students. Owing to this reason guidance service of the school offers positive direction to the students to utilize extra times properly.

Guidance is needed to attach more importance to the school to attract the students: Besides school students there are many children those who are away from track of education. To attract them school sphere and system should be better organised and education given to the students should be meaningful and relevant for both individual and community life. In this context the good guidance service can play better role in making school attractive and effective by which the goals of school and education is achieved.

Guidance is needed to check indiscipline of the students: Really discipline invites a better individual life and a cultured social life. Sometimes it is found that students lack of sense of direction, a sense of responsibility, a sense of integrity and a sense of fulfilment create disturbances in the school and outside also.

So that school guidance service provides real direction to the students to utilize their inner energy in some creative ways. As a result of which both individual as well as society become free from the burden of indiscipline.

Guidance and counseling helps young people to pursue the right type of education. Whenever any learner is confused between two career options, vocational guidance can help to make a choice. In this way, the individual is motivated.

Sometimes learners get confused while managing their time properly. Guidance helps learner to organise their leisure hours.

It assists individuals to make informed decisions about their education. Individuals have to know the choices that are available in subjects, curricula, schools or colleges to determine what exactly they want to pursue. They have to know subject combinations or options, what the subject involves in the classroom, available courses and what are the future prospects of following a particular course, available schools and colleges that offer the desired programmes, admission requirements and educational opportunities.

It facilitates the smooth transition for children from home to school, from primary to secondary school, from secondary to higher  educational institutions and to the world of work. The final transition from the educational system to the labor force appears to be most important and challenging for students.

It helps students to cope with examination anxiety. The fear of failure and a craving for high grades are major stress factors among students nowadays. Handling this pressure becomes difficult for children. Guidance helps learners to overcome this fear and achieve good marks.

It helps students to develop effective study habits. They are guided to improve their competence in reading, note-taking and academic achievement.Above all, to achieve individual, social and national development to an optimum level, guidance needs to be entered in to educational system with its urgent implementation. Guidance also shows accurate path to the students for higher courses and career considering their abilities, aspirations, interests, aptitudes etc. Therefore, sincere, systematic and scientific guidance service should be entertained in the school to satisfy personal interest, social interest of the individual as well as national interests.

CONCLUSION:

The Guidance counsellor in his or her effort to help the client to gain self-understanding, self-fulfillment, and self-determination through self-clarification should base his professional practice on the above basic principles which

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Mwenda n (2014) educational and career guidance and counselling karijamer print technology; Tanzania

Nkuba, M. (2013). Towards Enabling Career Services Delivery in Tanzania Schools: The Role of Students, Teacher counselors and Heads of Schools: American Based Research Journal. Vol. 2 (4), 1-13.

Paolini, Allison C. (2019)."School Counselors Promoting College and Career Readiness for High School Students." Journal of School Counseling 17, no. 2