Factors that hinder the development of guidance and counselling services in technical training institutions in Meru Central District, Kenya

Abstract

The education system in Kenya has undergone remarkable expansion since independence. This has resulted in many changes that have presented unique challenges since the education program is academically laborious; many schools have sacrificed time usually allocated for psychosocial development. The Kenyan government has time and again set up educational commissions that have in different ways, recommended guidance and counseling in all learning institutions. The study set out to investigate the factors that hinder the development of Guidance and Counseling services in Technical Training Institutions. The objectives of the study were to find out; if counseling services are offered in T.T.I.s, the level of training (in G&C) of the teacher counselors and generally the state of Guidance and Counseling services in T.T.I.s. The literature review related to origin of Guidance and movement in developed countries and what necessitated it, the development of G&C in developing countries, the state of G&C in Kenya and literature related to the concept of G&C. The research population was drawn from public technical institutions in Meru Central District. Data were collected using questionnaires, which were distributed and collected from the three teacher counselors, thirty teachers, and hundred and twenty students of three public T.T.I.s in Meru Central District. A pilot study was first conducted to ensure validity of the research instrument before the actual data collection. Questionnaire for teacher counselors, regular teachers and students were the main research instruments used.Tables frequencies& percentages were used to present the data. The findings revealed that there is no established G&C programmes in T.T.I.s, neither are the teachers in charge of the of the G&C trained counselors. All those who participated in answering to the questionnaires agreed that there is need for G&C. in T.T.I.s. Based of the findings, the following suggestions and recommendations were made. More research needs to be done on hindrances of G&C in other learning institutions, the Ministry of Education Science and Technology should put all the recommendations made by different commissions into practice and also come up with a well established machinery to assess the actual progress of the services taking place in Technical Training Institutions, with a view of improving on them.