Ho, March 22, GNA-Guidance and Counselling is to receive a big boost under the educational reform programme which commences later this year.

Mr Kwasi Hobenu, outgoing Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES) said this on Thursday at an in-service training for schools and district Guidance and Counselling Officers drawn from the Volta Region in Ho.

He said under the reforms, adequate budgetary support would, this time be given to the division to operate to give educational and moral direction to school children. Mr Hobenu said Guidance and Counselling was crucial for any educational system, especially for Ghana at this time when foreign cultures were negatively affecting the values of the youth in the country. He urged the officers to brace up for the challenge by acquiring new skills so that when "a little child sits before you to be counselled you are adequately equipped to give him or her all that is needed to move on". Mr Hobenu said Guidance and Counselling Officers must reflect the multiple roles of educators, role models and pace setters to inspire the confidence of their pupils and students.

Mr Seloame Lotsu, Regional Coordinator regretted that some officers were inactive and had not presented reports on their activities. He hoped that the situation in the past when the culture, sports, girl-child and school health divisions of the GES were adequately funded while the guidance and counselling sections depended on the goodwill of holders of the purse would be gone forever.