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This study explored the access to guidance and counselling services for the welfare of public secondary school girls in Tanzania: A case of Kilombero District. The study was conducted at Kilombero District in Morogoro Region. The study was guided by three specific objectives, which were to investigate availability of guidance and counselling services to public secondary school girls, to examine public secondary school girls’ perceptions towards guidance and counselling provided for their welfare and to explore challenges facing public secondary school girls in accessing guidance and counselling services. The study employed qualitative approach with case study design in which 36 participants were involved. Participant categories were distributed as follows three head of schools, three teacher counsellors, three discipline teachers, three class teachers and 24 public secondary school girls. Purposive sampling was employed in selecting participants where sex, experience, position and access to guidance and counselling services were criteria for selection. Data were collected using interview, focus group discussions, observation and documentary review. Study was guided by system theory. Thematic analysis was used in analysis and themes were created based on specific objectives. The findings revealed that guidance and counselling services were available in schools and girls had access to the services. In addition, it was revealed that girls in public secondary schools had positive perception towards guidance and counselling services. Moreover, guidance and counselling services were revealed to have been facing challenges such as absence of counselling rooms, time limitation, and lack of training to teacher counsellors. The study recommends that schools should use the available resources so that guidance and counselling services can be accessed, provision of trainings or seminars so that teacher counsellors can have counselling skills in dealing with all cases that require their attention. Lastly, there should be maintenance of confidentiality and strengthening relationships between teacher counsellors and girls in order to ensure accessibility of guidance and counselling services in schools. |
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