INTRODUCTION
Guidance and counseling program for secondary school students are designed to address the physical, emotional, social, vocational and academic difficulties of adolescent students. On these realization some concerned people divided to help. These helps come mainly from philanthropic religions and mental health sources. The origin of guidance and counseling service in the modern form is distinctively American.
The democratization of the public system and the vigorous social reform movement which gained movement in the United State, in 1890s drew attention to the critical development and adjustment needs of youth which could not be meet through the traditional curriculum. Animate was thus created which was favorable to emerge of guidance (Miller, 1968).
National’s ideals which were linked to the belief in the ventures of individualism and of a relatively open society permitted increasing numbers of people especially among less privilege to view education as offering the principal opportunity for advancement. As counseling related to pupils personal services were developed they began to provide one significant means were students could be helped to use schooling, effectively to attain self-improvement and up-ward socio – economic mobility (Miller,1968).
The initial introduction almost exclusively with assisting young people early school levels in particular to became productive members of the labour force. Act its inception modern guidance in United States was virtually synonymous with vocational guidance training and job placement. Later the goals and practices of guidance and counseling were expanded to include counseling on a variety of educational personal and social problems. By the beginning of the twentieth century the rapid growth of industrialization and urbanization has made it increasing for careers at the same time the American, secondary schools were rapidly changing from places changed with preparing the gifted or fortune few for colleges, into institutions with responsibility for providing a comprehensive education for all children (Miller,1968).
Miller, also lamented that perhaps the greatest impetus to secondary schools guidance program in 1958 with the passage of national defense education act. Under the provision of the legislation, various kinds of support were given to school guidance, program and most importantly, training institutes were conducted, that brought hundreds of new counselors and up-graded that skills of others.
According to (Nwoye,1990), guidance and counseling service in Nigeria can be traced to the effort of reverend sisters who taught at saint Theresa college eke ado Ibadan in 1957. This later was named “the Nigerian career council.
Olunloye College of education, Ibadan awarded the first set of diploma in this field though these graduates were to teach art and science, they were the first set of teachers that had opportunity of being exposed to systematic formal counseling training in Nigeria. In 1964, a seminar on vocational guidance and counseling and testing was organized by the federal ministry of education. Lagos, the seminar which lasted for six consecutive Saturdays featured numbers of topic delivered by experience and specialized people at that time. Another counseling workshop was held at comprehensive high school Ayetoro in (1966).Here youths were enlightened on the important role counseling can play in their lives. The Nigerian career council also organized a workshop for career masters and mistress on vocational guidance in 1970.A year later, the university of Ibadan, established a career board and launched the counseling Association of Nigeria(Nwoye,1990).
Between 1985, to date, however, the emphasis of counseling psychology has increased considerably. It is no wonder that the universities of Ibadan, Lagos, Ile-Ife, Ahmadu Bello, Nsukka and others have units or department of careers in their curriculum. Guidance services as a school program is designed to enrich each students whole some educational/vocational and personal social experience. It is through the guidance program that the school guidance objectives are achieved. This is the position of Anaghogu(1987), where he declared that guidance and counseling is greatly concerned with helping individuals to gain insight and understanding of himself in relation to present and future environment such that decisions or choices made would be more satisfying and rewarding experience,(Nwoye 1990).
In Borno states according to Malla (2000), The ministry of Education is trying its best to see that any teacher who wishes to undergo a course in this field is given an in-service training without any hindrance through some trained counselors most of them have been taken off by the tertiary institutions while the state guidance and counselling units is headed by a trained counselor. Despite the very few numbers of trained counselors, efforts have been made to guide and counsel students. This is by appointing careers masters or mistress and request had been put forward to give some monetary reinforcement to such masters or mistress monthly. In addition the ministry had requested principals to reduce the work load of career masters.
The state and the nations at large will gain more when the talents and potentials of its youths are discovered early enough and channeled to appropriate careers the explosion of education in the state will be achieved and it will makes it absolutely necessary to organize on more formal basis both in the secondary, university and in other higher institutions, department or centre’s for academic counseling there is need to pay attention to each individual within the school to ensure that hidden and talented are identified and develop to the optimum. The cause of failure in adjustment to the educational program can be investigated and some appropriate form of personal help can be offered when needed. Greater consideration must be given to each individual in the new educational system in fostering growth and personal development and in offering wide choice and broader educational opportunities than before (Malla, 2000).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The counselor occupies a very strategic position in any educational system. The federal government is aware of this fact. That is why the re-emphasis is on the need of guidance and counseling service in the New National policy on Education (9-3-4) system. It is also clear from the Federal Ministry of Education that counselors should operate a fun time basis. Also principals and teachers are aware of the counselors’ functions/services despite the fact; it has been observed that the program/service are not encouraged at the secondary school levels.
Apart from academic problems failure and dropout of students from schools, others numerous psycho-social vocational and personal-social problem abound among students in our secondary schools. Parents and significant others in recent times have been so concerned about academic problems of students. The control or resolution of these problems is always channeled to mainly school authorities and teachers while the seeking of counselors’ attention is always ignored. This study therefore attempts to look at student’s attitude towards guidance and counseling service.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The objectives of the study are to determine:
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were answered in this study.