Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to examine the nature of Guidance and Counselling services in secondary schools based
on a survey conducted in Eldoret Municipality of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study specifically looked
into areas that ranged from the issues for which students sought Guidance and Counselling, to whether the units
enjoyed administrative support or not. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design. The target population
was all secondary schools in the Municipality where a sample was obtained by both random and stratified
sampling techniques. A total of 204 secondary school students (103 girls and 101 boys), from nine secondary
schools, 41 teachers (14 male and 27 female) and the officer in Charge of Guidance and Counselling in the
District constituted the sample. All categories of schools were considered, that is, boarding and day; single sex
and co-educational; public and private. The research methodology for the study involved the use of structured
questionnaires (open- and closed-ended) to collect the data. The data were subjected to descriptive and
inferential statistical techniques for analysis and interpretation. The study findings revealed that lack of physical
and human resources characterized the nature of Guidance and Counselling services in the area. The services
delivered, within these units were also varied. Although most schools tried to adhere to the objectives of
Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST) in their service provision, most teachers including the
head teachers were not aware of the MOEST guidelines. It is thus recommended that the MOEST should have a
revised Guidance and Counselling curriculum, which should be followed by all schools. More teachers should
also be trained in Guidance and Counselling and more than one posted per school.
