INFORMATION NEEDS AND INFORMATION PROVISION TO SECONDARY SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELORS IN ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to explore the information needs and information provision to guidance counselors in Enugu state secondary schools. The descriptive survey design was used while five research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study consists of all proffessional guidance counselors in secondary schools in Enugu state. The instrument used was questionaire. Data was analysed using mean, frequency count, and percentage. The result revealed that  guidance  counsellors in secondary schools in Enugu state have many information needs. The information needs are in the areas of educational information, career and vocational information, and also personal-social information.  The result also reveals that the extent to which information needs are met are still vey low and their sources of information are professional colleagues, radio, neighbours, school library, radio, neighbours, adolescents, international bodies, such as UNESCO report, and world bank report, others are academic library, internet, newspapers, magazines, non-governmental organizations, television, public library, conference, seminars, workshops, family and friends, textbooks, journals, form teachers, subject teachers. However, despite the importance of information to guidance counselors in the administration of guidance and counselling services. A number of problems affect the guidance counselors in meeting these needs, including unavailability of information sources, some information sources outdated, unorganised information sources, lack of necessary skills to acquire necessary information, lack of internet facilities, inability to know when new materials are acquired. The recommendation based on the findings were that workshops, seminars, in-service training be organised more regularly to update the knowledge of guidance and counsellors while internet facilities should be provided  to enhance access to adequate and current information.