The founder of Regalo Hope Foundation (RHF), Mrs. Chineye Onuorah has advocated the need for schools in Nigeria to have guidance and counseling units.
Mrs Chineye said that these units should be made active in schools to enable students to ‘speak out’ on personal challenges.
Onuorah said this in an interview on Tuesday against the backdrop of schools without functional guidance and counseling units.
She asked that the services of experienced teachers on the subject, who would make themselves approachable to students, be employed.
“Some schools don’t have an active guidance and counseling unit. Schools should create forums where students are made to open up. Schools should launch anonymous box, not the regular suggestion box, where students should be encouraged to write anonymously or express their personal challenges.
“The unit should be supervised by experienced counselors, who would check the notes and give talks on the issues raised with personal counseling,” she said.
Onuorah noted that her foundation carried out a campaign on teens suicide and on a one-on-one discussion with them, discovered that some of them had suicidal thoughts.
The RFH boss said some of them had low self esteem because of the way their teachers spoke to them.
She said the NGO launched a mentoring club, being an intermediary between schools and the students.
“We stand in the gap for schools that don’t have guidance and counseling units in their schools. The schools approach us and we talk to the students on issues bothering them. Some of the students are dying in silence, looking for an avenue or someone to pour out their hearts to; which if they don’t get, may start having suicidal thoughts,” she said.
Onuorah said that the foundation’s learning hub has a part that says ‘Ask the Counsellor’, where students are to write from wherever they are.
“We address them, and when severe, refer them to a psychologist.”
