The State of Career Guidance in Nigeria

The moderator Titi Ojo asked the panellists to describe the current structure of career counselling in Nigeria.

Mr Collins Ezem a High school Teacher had the following to say.

• He began by narrating Nigeria’s educational policies to be very good on a paper to a large extent from one government to the other, but unfortunately, it stops there with no implementation and accountability mechanism in place.
• He credits the government schools (public schools) for having some bit of a structure and improvements in the area of career guidance and counselling in Nigeria in the past few years.
• However, this has not been the case at the private schools since many if not all are business-oriented. They do not meet nor attain the standard and proper requirements before setting up, opening and running schools on their own.
• He calls the above a misfit and malpractice in the practice of education because every child needs a counsellor tailored to meet their specific need.
• From his interactions with other counsellors, he discovers their lack of interest and passion in career guidance and counselling generally.

Coach Halima Career a Counsellor made the following contributions describing the current structure of career counselling in Nigeria.

• She gives insights into the fact that students are neither pre-informed nor aware of the reason behind their choosing a particular course or line of study.
• And that it is also true that when the students begin their university applications, the colleges and universities in most cases do not give the students their first course choices, or the second and are often left with no choice; pushed to fill up other faculties and departments, of which counselling is one, but having no prior desire or passion to study the program in the first place.
• From her experience as a graduate in counselling, more than 70% of coursemates in counselling, never had it as an option.
• Eventually, they all graduate and are brought back to society, employed to be career counsellors; the first challenge.
• The second challenge; is that counsellors are employed but are never provided with an enabling environment (i.e. those who are passionate about counselling) to function.
• The third challenge; is the lack of importance in counselling in the private schools in Nigeria which is quite on, unfortunately; being that most of our students (wards and children) are admitted there.

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