The Need for Guidance and Counseling in Nigeria

The Need for Guidance and Counselling in Nigeria

Guidance and counselling services are needed now more than before; because of the complexity of the society and the high rate of unemployment which is turn lead to high rate of offence and other vices in the society.

To agree with this statement, Mallam (2000) says that increased demand for educational vocational and personal social life of the society, more especially the young necessitate the need for guidance. Furthermore, Olayinka (1996) observed that as a matter of fact, much confusion emanates when we see the street being crowded by educated but unemployed/unemployable people of different kinds and categories, one might be forced to believe that we are producing many un-educated people.

However; as if responding to the concluding part of the statement above, Bakare (1997) says “that it is not true but we are exciting them wrong”. The reason is either they were not guide at all in their career choices or that they were not properly guided especially in their secondary school which is the bed rock of the career choice. In the same vain, Ajube (1976) also cited in Mallam (2000) agrees that there is need for guidance and counseling to help the beneficiaries make wise choice of career.

Lannap (1992) says that any Educational level that operate without guidance and counseling is likely to suffer a great set-back in term of the society, Economic, moral psychological and Educational development.

Moreover, it is quite obvious that we are no longer in the era when after leaving school as a school leaver or a graduate one was faced with lots of job opportunities to make a choice from the trend of event has changed that without proper educational and vocational preparations good means of survival becomes a dream or rather a game of luck. This makes decision making concerning appropriate occupation and career the most cruel problem area at the secondary school level.

Thus Kuchhar (1999) says “that it is a fact that out of educational system has grow up in a highly, pigged fashion call for careful guide over ones future course of study or choice”.

In the same line of though, Unachukwu and Igborgbor (1999) observe that there are a lot of problem facing the child and these include the choice of subject, how to pass or fail Examination, choice of schools, to attend, how to combine subject so as to pursue any area of study, disillusion more with chosen subject, problem of coping with a course of study, lack of interest and lack of motivation.

While the above statement consider mainly the ugly situation student face in subject combination and career choice, Kocher (1999) look at general predicament the individual student find themselves, he laments not only that quite a big number of students at the threshold of a college or university are in for compelling and deficient-like situations, they are shy, fearful, gullible, not skilled in managing their own affairs, feelings of failures, inadequacy or lack of meaning or purpose in- life. They lack self-knowledge which make them unable to form realistic life-goal and plans. They lack both focus and meaningful direction.

As if trying to draw a concluding analysis of these various opinions and observation Abiri (1977) observed that “if our society is not to be plaque by a brood of disgruntled, frustration and unrestricted individuals, secondary school student should be exposed to available opportunities and social expectation in the country through care guidance and counseling.

Hence, it will be an understatement to say that one needs guidance and counseling before he can exist and thrived properly in the society. Thus the urgent and crucial need for guidance and counseling service at all the school levels.