Rila Group makes it possible for school counsellors to undertake degree course |11 November 2022

The counsellors in a souvenir photograph with guests after they had been presented with their letters of acceptance (Photo: Joena Meme)

Sixteen school counsellors from state schools will be undertaking a BSc Honours in Psychology with counselling course with the Arden University, UK.

This has been made possible through collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Rila Institute of Health Studies.

The counsellors were remitted with their letters of acceptance during a brief ceremony held at the ministry’s headquarters yesterday afternoon.

Faced with the need to build the capacity of counsellors to deal with the developmental challenges which students of today face, the ministry has over the years explored numerous channels for in-service professionals to further their studies, but this is the first to materialise.

The collaboration is testament of government’s commitment towards professional advancement, he added.

As per Minister for Education Justin Valentin, the post of school counsellor was introduced in 1994, and although the majority of in-service counsellors hold a Diploma in social work, this is not directly related to their work within schools.

“We have noticed that whatever you have was inadequate to address evolving needs of the students. School counsellors who interact with our students daily will be undertaking better and more sophisticated education to be able to deal with the sophisticated situations that crop up in school life daily,” Minister Valentin noted.

The counsellors will be undertaking their studies online, while also still serving within their respective school institutions.

Chief executive of the Rila Group, Georgina Dhillon, expressed to the media her views about the importance of such capacity-building opportunities for the Seychelles, in a bid to solve some of the social problems which the country faces.

“If we have counsellors and we are able to solve some of the social problems, and we are able to do so in a structured manner and to lead by example, it will facilitate the rest of us, as it will help the youngsters have a better way of life,” she said.

The British Psychological Society course will introduce the counsellors to a wide range of contemporary research and support towards developing key knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential in pursuing a career within psychology. Among the modules are; social psychology, introduction to research methods, developmental psychology, biological psychology and cognitive psychology.

The sixteen were selected based on the fact that they meet the entry requirements of the university, and the timeframe for which they have been serving, noted head of the Support Services Section, Desiree Hermitte.

As they progress through, the ministry will work on preparing others by building their capacity to also meet entry requirements so as to benefit from the training in future.

Stephanie Joubert, who has been a school counsellor for the past 23 years, notes that the job is a demanding one, and one which requires lots of patience on a day-to-day basis.

“The training is directly related to our work. The majority of counsellors have some baggage, but this tends to be a bit general, and primarily focused on the social element. We have gained some knowledge about counselling and psychology through our in-service courses, but this course is specifically for both, and will serve to equip us with the knowledge that we really need to perform better on the job,” Ms Joubert stated.

Laura Pillay