An Assessment of the Importance of Guidance and Counselling Services in Public Girls’ Technical Colleges in Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Guidance and counselling services are formally recognised in Nigeria’s National Policy on Education as integral to holistic student development. However, in crisis‑affected regions such as Yobe State, north‑eastern Nigeria, the delivery and perceived importance of these services remain underexplored. This study assessed the importance of guidance and counselling services in Senior Secondary Schools in Yobe State. A mixed‑methods sequential explanatory design was employed. The quantitative phase surveyed 680 respondents (400 students, 150 teachers, 120 parents, 10 counsellors) selected through multi‑stage sampling from 16 public Senior Secondary Schools across Damaturu and Gashua educational zones. The qualitative phase involved semi‑structured interviews with 20 purposively selected stakeholders. Instruments included a 35‑item questionnaire (α = 0.85) and interview guides, validated by experts and pilot‑tested. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means) and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that 62.5% of schools had no functional counselling unit, and only 28% of students had ever accessed counselling. Despite low availability, 87% of stakeholders rated counselling as “very important” for addressing academic difficulties, career indecision, trauma from insurgency, and child‑marriage‑related stress. Major challenges included acute shortage of professional counsellors (1:15,000 student ratio), lack of referral pathways, cultural stigma, and inadequate government funding. The study concluded that guidance and counselling services are critically important yet severely underprovided. Recommendations include immediate employment of 200 additional counsellors, mandatory school‑based counselling units, and community sensitisation programmes.