PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL : December 14th, 2021
BOWEN COLLEGE ASSAULT: WHY GUIDANCE COUNSELORS MUST BE EMBRACED AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL OF NIGERIA’S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM -SANUSI
A lot of children and youth today go through a wide range of challenges. It can be difficult for them to speak with their parents or friends. At times, some children bottle up a lot of things in their minds and this affects their thought process and ultimately, their academic performance and even death. Due to this, it is however important that we have guidance counselors in Nigeria. This was the position of Prince Lanre Sanusi (PLS) during an interactive sessions with the media during a live call-in program over the spare of the recent school violence in Nigeria.
The US trained Tax Consultant and Finance Expert stressed that “At elementary school, children begin to develop their learning pattern. This is the stage where they start to make decisions, communicate, and master life skills, as well as character values. Students at elementary level develop and acquire attitudes toward school, peers, groups and family.”
“It is essential for schools in Nigeria to have counselors at all levels in the educational sector. This is because children need people who they can share their personal struggles with, without being attacked.”
Push News 24 International reported the incident of Bowen College assault which led to the death of a pupil Sylvester in questionable circumstances result in the arrest of some officials and pupils of the school by the Police.
PLS who was visibly saddened about such incidences described it as unfortunate putting it amongst other things as a missing link in the guidance and counseling strategy in Nigerian schools, he mentioned to Push News 24 International about some of the importance of Counsellors.
“They may facilitate student-to-parent, parent-to-teacher or parent-to-parent consultations and discussions to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to issues regarding the students, whether it involves disciplinary decisions or social provocations. School counselors act as a link between parents/teachers and their children/students. When parents have questions regarding the social engagement of their children, they approach the guidance counselor for answers.”
“At times, counselors go the extra mile to organize seminars to educate the teachers on certain topics relating to developmental milestones of children. In some schools in Nigeria, Guidance Counselors engage in periodic review of students academic performance, looking out for trends that may reveal signs of positive or negative influence, in order to make recommendations for intervention where applicable.” Sanusi says.
The Awori born Prince added “Guidance Counselors in Nigeria encourage students to talk to their parents or guardians about things that worry them. When students do not feel comfortable talking about emotional or social problems at home, school counselors may have individual counseling sessions with them. If there is a problem occurring with a group of students, then a group counseling session might be warranted. When the issues are a bit complex, Guidance Counselors may include parents in these sessions, especially in cases where there might be need to seek additional counseling outside the school.”
“In a country like Nigeria, we have a lot of negative influences such as; domestic violence, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and unemployment, etc. It is therefore of utmost importance to have Guidance Counselors who can act as role models to children who may be affected or caught up in these situations.”
The Lagos born US trained business mogul says if given the platform he will ensure the relevant authorities review the curriculum of Guidance Counselor in schools in order to ensure graduates of such professions are fully baked before they are churned out to the society.
Push News 24 International researched that It is important for people to be aware that school counseling is by far the most complex and demanding type of practice that is not widely recognized in Nigeria. Unfortunately, few people fully understand the complexity of the lives of young people and the challenges they go through.
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