Head teachers' perceptions of the roles of guidance teachers in government secondary schools of Lusaka district,Zambia.

The focus of the study was to explore the head teachers’ perceptions of the roles of guidance
teachers in secondary schools of Lusaka district in Lusaka province of Zambia. The study
used qualitative approach and a descriptive survey research design was employed for this
study in order to obtain pertinent and precise information concerning the head teachers’
perceptions of the roles of guidance teachers in secondary school. The target population was
all government secondary school head teachers and guidance teachers in Lusaka district.
Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 45 participants. Data was
collected using Interview guides through semi-structured interviews. Analysis of data was
done thematically where emerging themes were presented in a descriptive form.
The study findings revealed that the head teachers perceived the role of guidance teachers to
be important though they misunderstood the duties of the guidance teacher. Guidance
teachers actually performed guidance and counselling roles that incorporated provision of
guidance and counselling to pupils, registration of candidates for examinations, keeping
pupils ‘records, subject teaching, identifying learners with special education needs and
instilling discipline in pupils. Although most schools tried to adhere to the Ministry of
General Education (MoGE) Guideline in the Administration and Management of Guidance
and Counselling in the Education System, all the head teachers interviewed were not aware of
the guideline.
This study recommended that the Ministry of General Education (MoGE) should formulate
job description for guidance teachers in schools that will also stipulate their roles; and
conduct Continuous Professional Development (CPD) trainings for both head teachers and
guidance teachers to raise awareness on the roles of guidance teachers in schools in order to
make the provision of guidance and counselling services effective.
Key words: head teachers, perception, roles, guidance teachers