Education and counselling for a greater Nigeria

Hi there,

I am sure we all agree that Education is one of the most important components that can transform a nation, thus we must continue to interrogate our Education framework and commit to its continuous improvement.

“By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man; body, mind, and spirit.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Today, I would like to share my thoughts on – Guidance & Counselling (G&C) as it applies to our Educational Framework and why we as a nation, must continue to undertake deliberate efforts towards strengthening it. G&C is an aspect of Education that many of us treat with levity but has proven to be a very important factor in unlocking the unlimited potentials of the average learner within any Education System.

Raising world-class individuals is a joint effort between parents, schools and the community. Growing up, I remember how important the guidance and influence of my parents were to me. Any time I was pressured or tempted to go against my upbringing and values, I would remember “the child of whom I am”.

The love and training that parents provide for their children has a significant impact on who they become. When parenting is done right, it establishes a bond between parents and children that acts as a continual guide and second conscience for the child. Parents must recognise that if our nation is to have a future, they must invest their time and resources in training their children – it is their number one responsibility.

However, there are situations where a parent might not be the most appropriate person to guide their child for several reasons. An example of such a situation is the aspect of Career Guidance. Some parents may try to influence their children’s career paths based on their personal beliefs, skills and missed opportunities or may not have the adequate skills to guide them through this process appropriately. Schools (through their G&C units) and other members of the community (family, neighbours, etc.) who have the necessary skills would be in a better position to guide them. I’d like to believe that is why the African adage says, “it takes a village to raise a child”.

Schools have a sacrosanct two-part responsibility;

1. To develop in students – a wide range of abilities, interests and untapped potential.
2. To prepare students to be effective members of their ever evolving society.

Simply put, schools have a significant influence on the academic and behavioural development of students. The reality is – we have often overlooked the power of G&C as one of the most effective tools we have for influencing and guiding students.

What is Guidance & Counselling (G&C)?

G&C refers to the services that promote personal, social, educational and career development. It is an excellent foundation for a more comprehensive education and it can be used as therapy for individuals with specific personal problems. In addition, it can be a foundation for a more general “life skills training programme” for students who do not suffer from any specific problem but need to be assisted in developing personal resources to cope effectively wherever they find themselves.

Furthermore, it maximises the development and self-actualization of human potential for the benefit of both the individual and the society.

The Origin

The origin of G&C in Nigeria can be traced back to a group of reverend sisters at St. Theresa’s College, Oke-Ado Ibadan, in 1959. They discovered the importance of proper Career Guidance for their secondary school students and enlisted the help of about twenty people from outside the school’s set-up to advise their 60 final year students on career paths. The outcome was extremely encouraging and it prompted some other schools in Ibadan and other major cities in the surrounding area to begin organising career talks for their senior students as well. This brought about the emergence of career experts and was the foundation of what metamorphosed into the Nigerian Career Council.

America is noted as the pioneer of G&C as we know it today. They have been able to develop their G&C unit to become a standard and integral part of a child’s educational experience working with parents, teachers, school management and even doctors to ensure that the child is in the best state possible. If you ask me, this is the level of impact we should aim to achieve with our G&C services in Nigerian schools.

The services of professional counsellors have become imperative due to the rise in poor performance of students in academics, prevalence of cultism and drug-related misconduct amongst other reasons. Issues of indiscipline in schools and institutions are currently the single greatest source of concern for educators worldwide and if we do not intervene quickly, we will be doing our society a disservice. For example, according to Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), among the general population of those who have never used drugs, nearly 1 in 8 persons aged 15-64 years reported experiencing some consequences as a result of a person in their family, neighbourhood or community using drugs with 5% experiencing physical harm.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men” – Frederick Douglass

Across the Nigerian primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, we’ve seen an alarming upsurge in the area of drug abuse, cultism, academic malpractice and other vices. Many Nigerian schools perceive expulsion of erring students as a quick fix for these acts of misconduct. I don’t think that is the right approach to education and discipline. The act of expulsion only passes the problem to the society without attempting to reform the student. I believe that as we continue to strengthen our G&C services, we can effect change. The reality is that G&C may not be able to solve the entire problem, but its impact would be significant.

In 2018, the Nigerian government, recognising the value of G&C in creating a Nigeria we can all be proud of, unveiled a National Policy on Counselling and guidelines for implementation in schools across the country. This is just one of the efforts made by the government to upgrade our G&C services over the years. The policy seeks to entrench a regime of international best practices and clarify areas of possible conflict.

As you and I know, having the policy is one thing; bringing it to reality is another. Hence, stakeholders across our Education system need to start implementing this policy in order for us to see the desired results.

Before I go, I’ll leave you with 3 things we must do to strengthen our G&C units across our Educational Landscape:

1. Invest In Guidance Counsellors

The job of Guidance Counsellors is a very delicate one as they possess the skills and abilities to shape the minds of students and influence their character and behaviour. They work with vulnerable students across the different age groups, so we need to make sure that whoever that responsibility is entrusted to, is properly skilled and equipped to influence their development appropriately.

1. Provide A Safe Space For Confidential Interactions

Counselling is usually a private and confidential service that needs enclosed offices to give room for the individuals to open up to the counsellor. For a Guidance Counsellor to effectively carry out his or her duties, the individuals need to feel safe enough to express themselves. Hence, we need to ensure that we deliberately work towards creating safe spaces for counselling to take place.

1. Synergy Between The Guidance Counsellors & School Staff

Teachers, school management staff & counsellors must work together with a full understanding of each of their roles and how they can help each other within those roles.

Research shows that there has been a misunderstanding of the roles of G&C in schools and this has been noted to cause conflict amongst teachers and counsellors. The Nigerian government has taken steps to help foster this synergy. The National Policy on counselling streamlines the duties of educational counsellors and defines their relationship with other school personnel in counselling practice.

In my next article, I will speak in-depth on the importance of G&C in the various components of the Education System and what we need to do to improve them.

Till the next time we meet here, Remember We All Have “A Role to Play”.

Fela Bank-Olemoh is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Education Interventions