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PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING IN NIGERIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE 21ST CENTURY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Professional counselling in Nigerian secondary schools was recognised officially by the Federal Government through the National Policy on Education. However, it has experienced a lot of apathy on the part of school principals and administrators. This paper provided a concise account of professional counselling in Nigerian secondary school system with its status, problems and prospects. Prominent among the concerns of this profession in Nigerian school system are; the due recognition of its relevance in the education system, the need for its legal coverage (code of conduct) of the profession and the training of members on modern techniques and skills that are technology based in the 21st century. This is predicated on the premise that effective professional counselling is dependent on knowledge and skills capable of assisting an individual to overcome negative attitude towards personal growth.