GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS: A REALITY OR A CASE OF POLITICAL SYMBOLISM? A FOCUS ON SCHOOLS IN CHEGUTU DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE.

Author's Name: Dr. Wellington Samkange & Tazivei Dondofema
Subject Area: Social Science and Humanities
Subject Education
Section Research Paper

Keyword:

Guidance and Counselling; Counsellor; Programme; Social Systems Approach; Political Symbolism; Primary School.


Abstract

There are a variety of challenges that confront students in educational institutions. These problems are wide and varied. These include behaviour modification challenges, adjustment to new demands in the school set-up, managing their social and physical conditions, pressure exerted on them by different experiences and other conditions related to their health, and family health. Such challenges have led to institutions and Departments of Education establishing counselling units within their organisations. Within the same context, institutions have adopted different approaches to counselling. These approaches include the psychodynamic approach to counselling, the humanistic approach to counselling, the behavioural approach to counselling and the systems approach to counselling. The purpose of the study was to assess the extent to which the Guidance and Counselling programme has been implemented in the selected schools. It aims at establishing the nature of counselling in primary schools. The study used the mixed methodology and the case study design. The sample was conveniently selected. It comprised ten primary schools in Chegutu District of Zimbabwe. The respondents comprised ten school heads, ten teachers and ten teachers in charge of the infant department. Data on how they counselled teachers and pupils was collected to establish the extent to which counselling in the schools would be described as relevant and functional. Data was collected using open-ended questionnaires, structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. The study concluded that there were no clearly defined counselling structures in the selected schools. Even those that provided counselling to teachers and pupils, they did not have any training in counselling. There was a tendency to rely on the Schools Psychological Services which were found at district offices. It was noted that these were mostly visible when there were cases of abuse in schools. The study concluded that guidance and counselling in the selected primary schools was more of political symbolism than reality. The study recommends that counselling be taken seriously. There should be a trained counsellor at every school, who apart from teaching guidance and counselling as a subject should provide counselling services to both pupils and teachers.

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