The organization and administration of the comprehensive school guidance programme in the basic school is a team effort that requires the active involvement of the headteacher. The success of the guidance programme to a large extent, depends on the support from the headteacher, since he/she is the number one decision maker of the school.
The following are some of the roles of the headteacher in organizing and administering the guidance programme in the school.
First and foremost, the headteacher is to recognize and encourage the guidance programme in the school. If the headteacher fails to recognize the importance of the programme, it will affect the success of the programme in the school because both teachers and students may not show interest in the guidance programme. Their lack of interest will affect the wellbeing of the students, since they may not make the right decisions concerning their education and careers they would want to do in the future.
Secondly, the headteacher has to allocate or assign official school time for a guidance programme in the school. As a practice, the programme has to be included in the school timetable like other subjects to make it officially known to both staff and students and prepare for it. The headteacher can also reduce the instructional hours of the school counselor or rep for him/her to have enough time so that he/she can attend to the psychological needs of the learners.
Thirdly, the headteacher is expected to encourage and motivate his/her staff to cooperate with the guidance counselor. The programme is ideally for the school but not the school counselor, so the support from the teachers is very important in order for the school to achieve the desired results.
Finally, it is one of the responsibilities of the headteacher to communicate the school’s guidance success as well as the guidance needs to the Ghana Education Service (GES), School Management Committee (SMC), Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and other relevant stakeholders and seek for the support to improve the school guidance programme.
In conclusion, the school guidance programme cannot be effective without the support from the headteacher. Thus, there is the need to foster a good relationship between the headteacher and the school’s guidance coordinator or rep.
Source: bricyboateng.com
