Guidance
and counseling is an important part of education at every level, especially at school
level. Gaurav Goswami talks about the ever increasing need for appropriate counseling
and guidance of school students in India.
A
quick look back
In India schools are considered as the temple of learning
and education is the preparation of life. In the past, Indian society with its
strong family bonds, warm community feeling and spiritual essence has been
working as a buffer in times of crisis and a support system to deal with
various psycho-social issues. But, in recent times the Indian society have gone
through a sea of changes from, the changing role of women, to a breakdown of
the joint family system, rise in divorces, to increase in competitiveness in
schools, rise in sociability of the children, increased technological advances,
and peer and parental pressure, that have resulted in the formation of an environment
that is loaded with stress and strain for students to deal with.
Essence
of education
Aim of education is the all-round development and
harmonious adjustment of an individual in various aspects of student’s life. If
this is to be achieved then education is not limited to imparting knowledge as
the duty of a teacher, and accumulating knowledge as the duty of a student.
Thus for self realization of the student guidance and counseling is needed. In
short school counseling helps in reducing the effect of environmental and
institutional barriers that impedes a student’s academic success.
History
of school counseling
School counseling in India is relatively new. The first
Child Guidance Clinic was started by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences at
Wadia Hospital in 1938. The Wadia hospital also started a school health unit
the same year, which referred children with behavioral problems to the
hospital. The Ministry of Education, Government of India established the
Central Bureau of Education and Vocational Guidance in 1954. After the 3rd five
year plan; 1961, guidance services were initiated in schools by the trained counselors
and career masters with assistance from school teachers. 1966 onwards the
number of schools providing guidance service in one form or the other rose to
300. From the year 2000 the Central Bureau of Education and Vocational guidance
has delegated the work of guidance professionals training to the regional
institute of Guidance at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhuvaneshwar and Mysore.
Need
for guidance
At adolescence the student must know about his/her
capacities, potential, and job opportunities after higher studies, about the
expenses towards higher education, availability of scholarships and the places
of admission etc. The student needs guidance for right selection of courses of
studies and personal guidance for his/her problems. Even if many students may
have educated adults for assistance, but may be reluctant to approach them. In
some families the parents or elders may be uneducated. There may be instances
where parents and elders at home are busy with their own professional lives,
and the adolescents are left without any help and in some cases without love
and affection. Unfortunate students face heterosexual problems, which they cannot
discuss with parents. Apart from these problems, students do not know the
method of studying, the right method of preparing for the examination, how to
allocate leisure time, and how better to adjust with siblings at home and with
peer group at school. Guidance is needed not only for the adolescent in
problems, but also for gifted students. Guidance is also needed to check the
dropout from school, to minimize the incidents of indiscipline. For the
adolescents who lack a sense of direction, purpose and a sense of fulfillment,
guidance is needed.
Lot
of work needs to be done
There is a better need to enhance the school counseling
field in India. Plus awareness towards emotional and behavioral adjustment
needs of students and its associations with academic performance should be
created among the teachers, parents, educators, administrators and community.
I
end this article with a question ‘what is the aim of counseling?’
The following tries to point out what counseling aspires
for-
- ·
To bring about the desired change in the
individual for self realization.
- ·
To provide assistance to solve problems
through an intimate personal relationship.
- ·
To achieve positive mental health.
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To help students to make proper and
satisfactory adjustments for improved academic pursuits and useful life.
