60 years after, FG unveils counselling policy for schools

THE Federal Government has attributed high rate of crimes in the society and the growing number of out-of-school children in the country to poor counseling in basic and secondary schools.

This is even as the government on Thursday unveiled the National Policy on Counselling and its implementation guidelines 60 years after introduction of counselling in schools in Nigeria.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who unveiled the documents for dissemination and distribution to the public at a brief ceremony in Abuja, said the policy was developed to enhance the capacity of learners through the promotion of counselling services in schools and non-school settings in Nigeria.

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He said: “Lack of a well-coordinated and consistent counselling practice in basic and secondary schools has contributed in no small measure to the number of out-of-school, reduction  in completion rate, increase in anti-social behaviour in schools and other vices militating against the development of school children into responsible members of the society.

Adamu said educational counselling entails the provision of academic, personal, developmental and therapeutic support to all students in order to promote their overall growth and eventual success in life,noting that it was more crucial to those with developmental difficulties.

He said: “It is indeed something of a shame that for the almost 60 years that counselling services have been carried out in various educational institutions in Nigeria, counselling as s profession has not had any national policy guiding counselling services.”

“This absence of policy had resulted in the lack of a well-defined structure for delivering counselling services, poor communication among practitioners and stakeholders and the absence of synergy among professionals,”he said, adding:”This has given room for efficiency and ineffectiveness in the delivery of counselling services,” he said.

The Minister said the policy seeks to entrench a regime of international best practices and to clarify all areas of possible conflict and misconception in the practice of counselling and also provides distinct and well-defined guidelines that ensure role clarify and addresses the issues of role ambiguity in both school and non-school settings.

Director, Education Support Services, Mrs Justina Ibe, said the draft of the policy had passed through different stages since 2016 and got the approval of the National Council on Educatio