Inadequate guidance and counselling and its effects on students carrier choice

ABSTRACT

The focus of this research problem was that despite the Government efforts to support the provision of guidance and counselling in public secondary schools, there was no readily available documented data of what is currently going on in the schools. Furthermore, the researcher did not come across any study that had been carried out on inadequate guidance and counselling and its effects on students carrier choice in public secondary schools in the Buea municipality. The purpose of the study was therefore to assess inadequate guidance and counselling programmes for students in public secondary schools in the Buea municipality. The specific objectives of the study were to find out the guidance and counselling programmes being implemented in public secondary schools in Buea Municipality; establish the availability and competence of guidance and counselling in public secondary schools in the Buea municipality. Find out the challenges in the effective implementation of Career and Counselling programmes in public secondary schools in the Buea municipality and make recommendations on the ways of improving guidance and counselling in secondary schools. The population for the study were all public secondary schools in Buea municipality. The target population were the 70 students, and 35 Form five and upper sixth students. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. Random sampling methods were used. The primary data was collected by the use of questionnaires. The study found that schools had different programmes for the implementation of guidance and counselling. The study also found that the guidance and counselling teachers were available but not adequately empowered with guidance skills, knowledge and facilities to carry out effective guidance and counselling services. The study further found that guidance and counselling resources were available in schools but inadequate. The challenges facing the implementation of guidance and counselling in public secondary schools were found to be the inadequacy of guidance and counselling resources, overloading of guidance and counselling teachers with academic class work and inadequate information on different careers. Based on these findings, the researcher recommended that secondary schools in the Buea municipality should be assisted to come up with varied programmes on guidance and counselling which should be coordinated by a department in the ministry of education. It was also recommended that teachers should be trained on guidance and counselling with regards to the field on carrier choice to improve their competences by organizing in-service trainings, seminars and workshops. The researcher finally suggested that a study be carried out on the Guidance training needs of all teachers in public secondary schools in the Buea municipality