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From: Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Oyo State House of Assembly during Tuesday’s plenary chatted a way forward to tackle the challenges militating against secondary school Students’ career path in the state.
The deliberation on the way forward followed by a motion moved by Hon. Segun Ajanaku from Ibadan South West II State Constituency on the need for career guidance counsellors in secondary schools both public and private in the state.
Ajanaku noted that the career Guidance counsellors are trained to assist an individual to assess his or her self and world around him or her so as to be able to live a normal and well adjusted life.
He further noted that Guidance and Counseling is a helping profession designed to help clients’ well-being, alleviate distress , resolve crisis and increase the ability of human beings to learn more effective and enhance capability to solve problems as well as make decisions.
He therefore urged the Executive government in the state through the ministry of education, Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), to engage the services of more suitably qualified Career Guidance Counsellors in all Junior and Senior Secondary Schools in the state.
He as well urged on establishing and equiping counselling clinics, career resource centres and information centres across the state; and also that the Association of Private Schools Proprietors in the state be urged to ensure that members of the Association engage the services of suitably qualified Career Guidance Counsellors in private Secondary schools in the state.
Contributing on the floor of the House, Hon. Wunmi Oladeji from Ogbomoso North State Constituency commended the mover of the motion saying it is utmostly important to improve on educational standard in the state.
She added that to achieve the feat, there must be training and retraining of Guidance Counsellors in the state to help the students on their career choice.
Also, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji from Akinyele 1 State Constituency said presently, there are 558 Secondary schools with 712 Guidance Counsellors in the state according to TESCOM saying it’s unfortunate that Guidance Counsellors are also seen teaching which is affecting their role as counsellors.
He noted that for effective performance of the Counsellors, they’re should be redistributed and ensure more counsellors are employed considering the large numbers of students in the schools.
Hon. Gbenga Oyekola from Atiba State Constituency advised that there’s need to encourage the schools to engage the activities of the guidance counsellors in the schools instead of redistributing them.
While noting that many of these counsellors were employed as teachers but attached to them the role of counselling, the speaker of the house, Rt. Hon. Michael Adeyemo urged the Executive arm of government to create enabling environment for the guidance counsellors to perform optimally in the state.
