GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT
Preamble
To many people including even some of the stakeholders in the education sector, it might appear as if the government has just appear as if the government has just decided to embrace the principles of Guidance and Counseling to address some of the numerous student related problems that have recently dogged both our primary and secondary schools. Contrary to this belief the government through the MOE has indeed given due consideration to guidance and counseling issues in most of its educational programmes as evidenced by the education commissions and reports identified below.
Ominde report of 1964
This was just after Kenya gained independence in 1963. The government realized that it had to educate and train local personnel in G & C to replace the expatriates who had just left the country. Some of the commissions’ recommendations touched on G & C. These included the following:-
· To ensure that children are given courses of education and training best fitted for their needs
· To provide advice on careers and opening for employment. By then the objective of guidance was career oriented.
Development plan 1974 -1978
In this particular document, head teachers were supported to arrange school timetables in such a way that members of staff responsible for G & C would have time to deal with career inquires and personal problems.
Republic of Kenya Development Plan 1979- 83
During this period the following measures were to be taken in order to make G & C more effective at the primary and secondary schools levels.
· The present unit established in 1971 was to be strengthened by appointment of a team of eight professional to coordinate and organized workshops for teachers involved in G & C.
· G & C was made of teacher training curriculum in all teacher training colleges and Universities.
The Gachathi Report of National Committee on Educational Objectives and Policies 1976
· It recommended that G & C of pupils and students, when property done, would enhance their future adaptability to society as it did in academic work.
· All teachers be trained as guidance and counseling personnel
· All teachers’ trainees take a compulsory course in G & C as part of their training.
· In service courses on G & C for practicing teachers be conducted
· All teachers should participate in G & C as one of their normal duties.
· G & C be integrated with other topics e.g. careers, ethics, human relations, family life and sex education.
· Parents and other competent members of the community are involved in the provision of G & C.
Kamunge Report of the Presidential
Working party on evaluation and manpower training for the next decade and beyond 1988
It recommended the following:-
Schools should establish guidance and counseling programmes and senior teachers are in charge
Teaching of social ethics to be taught by emotionally mature and responsible teachers
G & C services are decentralized to the district level.
It is against this back drop that schools came up with G & C departments.
In Karen C Secondary school we have a G & C department comprising of five teachers. These are; Patricia Kimani, Elizabeth Kibue, Jane Njoroge, Jane Muigai and Peter Jaoko.
We hold G & C sessions every alternate Thursday between 3.30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. these are usually group sessions where we counsel them in groups as we deem necessary.
Sometimes we invite groups or individuals from outside the school. Topics discussed include those relevant to our students lives e.g. sexuality, boy/girl relationships, peer pressure, friendship formation stress management e.t.c.
We also undertake individual counseling where we counsel individuals whom we feel need counseling and some who come to us out of their own volutaruy.
The school has also formed a peer counselors club where a few students are trained in counseling skills so that they may counsel other students at their level. However, they are advised to refer difficult cases to the G & C department
Also, in compliance with the MOE’s directive the school is offering life skills education since beginning of the term. One lesson per class per week is allocated to life skills education. Life skills education was introduced as a stop gap measure when the MOE realized that although people knew facts about HIV and AIDs, there was no behavior change. Therefore, life skills education enhances what v offers and at the same time emphasizing on behavior change some of the topics offered in life skills education include living values, communication, and friendship formation e.t.c
Our main objective in the department is to finally produce all rounded students; well molded in terms of mind, body and soul. The end product is usually a personality that is well balanced and ready to fit the wider society
Patricia Kimani,
G & C Coordinator.