ROLE OF COUNSELLING SERVICES IN ENHANCING EDUCATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

Abstract

Exercising transparency and accountability also ensures that information reaches those who need it, which helps in making and evaluating decisions. Thus, transparency and accountability is associated with: Disclosure, clarity, and participation. Largely absent in discussions of accountability and transparency are the voices of stakeholders who work, learn, and teach in schools and other educational institutions. This paper highlights the critical importance of accountability and transparency in education. This process involves enabling diverse education stakeholders to make use of organized opportunities to articulate their views, especially in discussions of accountability and transparency in education, in ways that their concerns are heard and valued. However, when the issue of Nigeria educational system today is raised, the first sets of thoughts that comes to mind on the accountability and transparency in education are: decline in standard, deterioration of facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and the like before any other thing else. This paper considers the role of counselling services in enhancing education, accountability and transparency. Counsellors collaborate with students both individually and in groups to address challenges like academic struggles, career exploration, stress management, bullying, substance abuse, and family issues. Their roles extend to providing academic guidance, offering personal and emotional support, and conducting workshops and intervention programs to promote mental health awareness and address behavioral issues.