Most learning institutions lack adequately trained counsellors, stifling learners’ well-being, personal growth, and academic success.
For learning to be meaningful, learners must be carefully guided progressively to achieve the intended goals.
Research has shown that learners who are not guided and counselled can only achieve 30 per cent of their cumulative excellence, with 70 percent going down the drain.
Ultimately, effective school counsellors have been known to provide reliable and accurate support to learners facing social-emotional challenges, career planning, academic problems, and even suitable career planning requirements.
Many people today are painfully suffering in silence and have very unsuccessful experiences in life.
These notable life setbacks include improper time management, poor study habits, and weird and poor decision-making, largely because they were not effectively counselled at their diverse learning levels.
We may all wonder why two or more people navigating the same variables would make completely irresponsible decisions that would later have a permanent effect on their lives. More often than not, those who undergo counselling thrive in school, work, and life.
An effective counsellor helps learners comfortably manage examination anxiety by assisting them to identify workable learning styles and customising them to achieve better exam scores.
Most learners have repeatedly selected the wrong career pathways just because of hearsay and prestige. They have ended up suffering later in life because they lacked an effective counsellor.
There are very basic stages of learning that are normally overlooked. These stages require a professional counsellor.
We ignore transition levels, for example, high school to college, ECDE to primary, primary to Junior school, and Junior school to senior school; all these stages require serious counsellors. Learners must be helped to adjust smoothly to the new expectations and realities.
Good counselling services are needed since the counsellor will swiftly and comfortably walk them. That’s why there is a difference between the performance of one institution and another.
Unfortunately, in most institutions, which we all agree on, the speech is delivered by the vice chancellor or head of the institution, whereas the rightful guest of honour should be a professional counsellor.
READ ALSO:
KNUT and KUPPET pull teachers from Kerio Valley following Catholic priest’s killing
A counsellor has the real power to equip learners with the requisite abilities to help them have healthy relationships. These include soft skills, conflict resolution, proper communication skills within and outside school, and even empathy.
Currently, all people go through very difficult challenges that steadily consign them into depression, of course, after painfully going through stress and anxiety. The services of a counsellor are the only hope for all learners and teachers grappling with mental issues.
There are teachers in our learning institutions who navigate personal struggles and addiction and at times find solace in school much more than their homes. The counselling department has to help them overcome these challenges so that learners can perform well.
The therapist should be fully equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to deliver exclusively on their mandate at any level of learning.
The counsellor has to lead learners to introspect and assess their abilities and interests, conduct continuous research, and make informed decisions.
Some learners have never understood the process of job and career application, financial aid, and many other areas targeted towards them. The counsellor would help them navigate these fields securely.
Counselling in our learning institutions is indeed the centre of learning and guidance.
Learners are helped to be ready to cope with the dynamics of school and after-school life. This creates an all-around person and is, in fact, the beginning of a successful life.
Teachers should strike a balance between peer and professional counselling.
Peer counsellors can help resolve many aspects in real time. Learners can be helped with many life-threatening challenges, but success can only be achieved if they are properly trained.
Peer counsellors can easily help colleague learners develop self-confidence and self-esteem compared to other counsellors.
They have an edge over others because they are easily approachable compared to professional counsellors.
It is, however, not advisable to overly rely on peer counsellors because they may lack confidentiality and are non-professional. They may not fully provide the desired effective therapy, especially for very pertinent mental issues.
All learning institutions must embrace professional counselling to achieve success at all learning levels. This will go a long way toward positively impacting learners’ later lives.
By Hillary Muhalya
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
>>> Click here to stay ahead with the latest national news.
