UMECS Country Director Charles Onencan assisting with needs assessment survey.

How are high school youth in Northern Uganda coping emotionally and psychologically with their ordeals following a brutal twenty-one year war in which the majority of youth were forced into child soldiering or sex slavery, were abducted, displaced to squalid camps, traumatized by loss, witnessed atrocities or are otherwise severely affected by conflict? Following two years of planning and preparation, UMECS has collaborated with three partnered schools in Northern Uganda: Y Y Okot Memorial College, an all girls secondary school in Kitgum District, Kitgum Alliance College and Lira Palwo Senior Secondary School in Pader District to pilot School-Based Counseling and Guidance in Northern Uganda.

Educational psychologist Dr. Regis Chireshe conducts needs analysis for UMECS program at Y Y Okot Memorial College, Kitgum.

“Tens of thousands of children and youth were traumatized by their experiences in this war and their psychosocial needs must be addressed. At schools, the needs of teachers as well as students must also be addressed” says UMECS staff member Joel Ojok who heads UMECS School-Based Counseling and Guidance Program.

The Executive Summary and Report which contains data, analysis and recommendations may be downloaded here as a resource to schools and communities in conflict and post-conflict regions that may be considering implementing similar programs.

For the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF REPORT, please click here.
For the FULL REPORT , click here.
To Read the article: "THE NEED FOR SCHOOL-BASED COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE IN UGANDA" by Country Director Charles Onencan, click here.

A first stage of the program was implemented in February and March 2007 at Lira Palwo Senior Secondary School in Pader District, Northern Uganda as a collaboration between UMECS, Lira Palwo Senior Secondary School, and Africa University’s Faculty of Education Counseling Department. The program is now being expanded, developed and replicated through a three-school pilot.

Professor Chireshe leads focus group discussion with teachers at Lira Palwo Senior Secondary School, Pader District to gather data on the challenges teachers face when trying to offer guidance and counseling services.

The program will comprehensively address the psychosocial counseling, educational, personal and social needs of students and teachers through an individually designed school guidance and counseling program at each school. UMECS will provide certificate level training of a combined twenty-five teachers at the three schools.

In April 2008, in order to determine the specific counseling and guidance needs at each pilot school, UMECS selected Educational Psychologist Regis Chireshe (Ph.D.), Associate Professor at Great Zimbabwe University and Kyambogo University, Uganda to conduct the needs assessments. Led by Country Director Charles Onencan, UMECS team and Professor Regis Chireshe, data was collected at each school through surveys and focus group discussions with students and teachers, and then analyzed, resulting in a comprehensive Report. The Report details the counseling and guidance needs of students and teachers, serves as a roadmap for program design at each school and the range of training scenarios. UMECS will sponsor the certificate level training of twenty-five teachers at the three schools in order to implement the pilot programs.

The needs assessment addressed these major research questions:

· What are the students’ main guidance and counseling needs?
· What priority should major service areas of a program be given in the schools?
· How should schools address the students’ identified needs?
· What challenges do teachers face when trying to offer guidance and counseling services?
· Which guidance and counseling materials do teachers want to effectively offer guidance and counseling services?
· In which guidance and counseling areas/topics should teachers receive training in?

Joel Ojok, who heads up UMECS Guidance and Counseling Program, assists a student with the needs assessment questionnaire.

Representative student samples were selected at each school who participated in questionnaires and focus group discussions. Findings were made in response to issues students identified by gender which included interpersonal social skills, self-awareness, conflict resolution, emotional and physical damage, peer pressure, overcoming trauma, sexual issues, time management, study skills, career exploration, personal qualities and work, education and work, world of work and knowledge of self, dating/relationship issues, school adjustment, coping with stress, handling crisis, coping with emotion, peer counseling/helping, test taking, problem solving, multicultural/diversity awareness, acquiring skills to learn effectively, academic persistence, job seeking, academic planning, and decision making.

The needs assessment also addressed the priorities to be given to major guidance and counseling service areas for teachers, by gender. These areas include counseling services, appraisal services, information services, placement services, consultation services and curriculum services. In addition, areas teachers need training, by gender, were identified as: ways of guidance and counseling delivery, guidance and counseling resource identification, developing a guidance and counseling calendar, responsive services, identifying and understanding students’ abilities, program administration and specific guidance and counseling skills.

UMECS Education Field Coordinator Anthony Ojok records feedback from focus group discussion.

Upon completion of teacher training, the program will be formally launched at each school. Ongoing technical assistance, assessments and evaluations will help to fine tune the program as students utilize services. A major goal of the program is to replicate and mainstream the program in Uganda schools.