Acting Director, Awgu Community Study, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Dr. Rosemary Ijeoma Nwofor, has said that guidance and counselling plays a vital role in ensuring quality of learning as it assists learners to achieve their educational goals in NOUN. 

She made this assertion on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, while briefing the NOUN News correspondent in her office at Awgu in Enugu State. 

Nwofor said that in NOUN counselling is an integral part of learner support usually done during pre-entry, entry to the programme, during the course of study, at the time of examination and post-study. 

She said learners are helped to solve a myriad of problems and challenges such as health, family, economic, political, stress and burn up emotions encountered by Open and Distance Learning (ODL) learners during the course of their studies both at home and in school that could affect their academics.  

The Director emphasised the importance of counselling as it provides a personal guide to students, giving appropriate information on issues and concerns about their studies, which assist ODL learners to cultivate the sense of direction and belonging as well as motivating them to continually seek for knowledge, take care of matters that relate to learning habits, creating learning circles to help learners interact with each other to reduce isolation, among others. 

She said that counselling services provided in NOUN are given to students individually or in groups, which include educational, personal, social, appraisals, information, counselling, referral, vocation, evaluation planning and placement. 

Nwofor, while stating that orientation is given to fresh students for effective adjustments, also noted that other services are in the form of giving general information regarding admission, registration, advice on courses to register, issues of study materials and how to go about examinations. 

According to her, these services bring clarity in thoughts and reduce stress and give students the opportunity to improve on their behaviours, self-awareness and sense of well-being, which culminate in a successful completion of their studies in the university. 

Nwofor advised students who ignore the services of guidance and counselling to embrace it as it adds value to their lives like salt adds taste to food, and medicine brings cures.