Pupils’ Perceptions Towards Guidance and Counselling Services Offered in the Northern Hhohho High Schools in Eswatini

Abstract

Guidance and counselling (GC) services represent a central pillar of classroom support, playing a crucial role in addressing pupils' psychological and emotional needs. Despite their importance, limited research has been conducted on pupils’ perceptions of guidance and counselling services in Eswatini. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the perceptions of pupils regarding the GC services offered in senior secondary schools within the Northern Hhohho region. A descriptive research design was employed, utilizing a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. The study sample consisted of 141 Form Five pupils, who were selected to participate. To ensure the validity of the instrument, it was reviewed by a panel of experts comprising two lecturers from the University of Eswatini and one guidance and counselling inspector from the Ministry of Education and Training. The inter-item reliability of the instrument was tested using a sample of 20 students from a school not included in the main study. The reliability analysis using Cronbach's Alpha yielded a coefficient of r = .75, indicating acceptable reliability. The findings revealed that while pupils were generally aware of the functions of GC services, the lack of private counselling venues in many schools hindered the effective utilisation of these services. Based on these findings, the study concluded that pupils face significant barriers to fully accessing guidance and counselling services. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and Training provide additional counselling seminars and professional development opportunities for GC teachers.