THE ORGANISATION OF GUIDANCE SERVICES

Guidance services in the school system include:

1. Orientation Services
2. Appraisal Services
3. Information Services
4. Planning/ Placement Services
5. Follow Up, Research and Evaluation Services
6. Counselling Services

ORIENTATION SERVICES

Makinde(1984) refers to the service as type of services which involves services provided
to help an individual adjust better in the new circle or environment. This service is
essential for individuals who are new to an environment and in most cases coming
into such environment and situation for the first time. The essence of this service is to
enable the new students adjust better and effectively within such an environment for
which they have little or no knowledge about and to which they are not familiar. Thus,
the orientation service applies to a student just entering a new school e.g changing
school, gaining entrance to a primary school, secondary school r higher institution in
a school setting. Therefore, orientation and adaptive services involve process as
familiarisation of the students with the administrative setup.

The use of school facilities, course registration process, teaching staff and the use of
the school guidance programming serving their needs and so on.

APPRAISAL SERVICE

This service involves the collection, organisation, arrangement, analysis and

interpretation of objective data for the purpose of better understanding of the client/
individual. The data or information concerning the client whom the guidance program
is designed to help can be obtained through observation, testing, interview and so on.

INFORMATION SERVICE

These services address the individual’s need for authentic, reliable, objective and
usable information that will enable him make adequate and realistic decisions at one
time or the other for the actualisation of a satisfactory and fulfilled life. The quality of
the information available to the individuals determines the quality of the decision the
individual will make. A student or an individual who needs to make educational
decisions will need to have adequate information about catalogue of valuable decisions
offering the hand of the student or course that answers his educational needs,
financial government scholarship loans, fellowships and other financial assistance
opportunities available, accreditation or in general educational standings of the
school, procedure for application, submission, health services available, housing and
boarding system, guidance potential of the institution.

PLANNING/PLACEMENT SERVICES

It has been described as services designed to help an individual in making short and
long term to actualise a particular need or goal. According to Makinde (1984),
placement service is designed to aid an individual to achieve admittance into his
school of his choice, to get him a job or secure treatment for some ailment. In essence,
placement entails such things as helping an individual in achieving or realising the
kind of his educational experience he desires, obtaining a job or realising his
occupational choice. At the same time, it involves aiding an individual in realising
other services as financial aids, health services, social adjustment services etc. that
are linked for successful materialisation of his educational needs, vocational needs
and general life satisfaction.

FOLLOW UP, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION SERVICES

All these services are part of the guidance services and they are generally concerned
with advancement, improvement, refining guidance process and programme.
Humpreys et al 1960 identifies some of the essence of the follow up research and
evaluation services as follows:

1. To improve counselling services

2. To devise new counselling techniques
3. To reveal the state, effect and misinterpretation of techniques in counselling
4. To aid in obtaining quantitative information
5. To learn the major and extent of progress
6. To determine areas of positive adjustment and areas that needs further
adjustment.
Makinde (1984) through these services noted that the effectiveness or the
failure of the entire guidance programme could be appraised. It has been noted
that the follow up services is a necessary tool for the counsellor in establishing
the nature and the essence of counselling and in determining the areas of life
that need further adaptation.

COUNSELLING SERVICES

It is one of the services of guidance programmes. Counselling as Makinde 1984 put it

as part of the total process of guidance which is helping individuals achieve self
understanding and self direction necessary to make maximum adjustment at schools,
home and community. This could be explained to the effect that counselling service is
concerned with the following objective.

1. The clarification of counselee’s self concept through objective information which

it is about attitudes, achievement and personal trait.
2. Humbregs et al 1954 and 1970 defines counselling as a process of helping the
individual in making independent choices that are realistic and effective in
guaranteeing the satisfaction.