Managing Guidance and Counseling Interventions in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to find out how management of guidance and counseling interventions were carried out in public secondary schools in Nairobi Province. With the banning of corporal punishments in education institutionas a means of correcting behaviour by the MOEST in 2001; guidance and counseling has become a necessary tool to deal with discipline in school. The world .~hanging trends of life, Free Primary Education and the effects of HIV/AIDS calls for education institutions to have well managed guidance counseling services to deal with the affected, infected, orphans, the disadvantaged students and the influx of students in the schools. Therefore, the studywas to find out how teacher counselors in public secondary schools were coping with this scenario. The study was conducted in 39 public secondary schools from 8 administrative divisions; that is: Embakasi, Kamukunji, Starehe, Westlands, Dagoretti, Langat, Kasarani and Makadara, The targeted group in the study was one teacher counselor from each of the public secondary school. All categories of secondary schools were included. A non probability sampling technique was employed. Closed and open -ended questioners were used. Observation method was used and discussions were held with individual headteachers in their respective schools. Although guidance and counseling was necessary in all public secondary school; the following results and conclusions were reached: • Guidance and counseling teachers were overworked. Time to carry out guidance and counseling was not allocated. The role of the teacher counselor was not clearly known. • Extra- curricular activities were important to enhance guidance and counseling; however, lack of time and resources such as, playing fields were limited. • Although. headteacher are custodians of guidance and counseling, they lacked training skills to handle students' needs. There is need for the MOEST in conjunction with the P.T.A. to design better ways of dealing with students needs in guidance and counseling interventions in public secondary school.