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‘Tertiary institution students need emotional support’

The Director of the Guidance and Counselling Centre at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr Godwin Awabil, has said the recording of sex tapes by some tertiary students in recent times that go viral on various social media could be due to the breakdown of family and social support systems.

He indicated that some students who needed emotional support in the ever-changing and stressful conditions of life sometimes did that to get some attention and love. 

Dr Awabil said this in an interview on Wednesday after the opening of the first National Conference on Guidance and Counselling held by the centre at UCC.

Conference 

The conference was attended by counsellors from the security agencies, health facilities and educational institutions. 

Recently, a video recording of a half-nude female student of the university went viral on social media. Other media sources also have reported similar incidents in other tertiary institutions in the country.

Dr Awabil said it was worrying that these students were now intentionally recording these ‘sex tapes’ for public viewing. He noted that any student who intentionally did this would need clinical attention and added that it was important for family and friends to be alert and pick signs indicating that relatives were troubled, particularly the young adults. Such people should be directed to the counselling units for support.

He expressed the need for society to go back for some of the family systems that offered support.

Vice-Chancellor

Addressing the conference, the Vice Chancellor of UCC, Professor D.D. Kuupole, noted that tertiary-level students needed guidance and counselling to enable them to cope with life on and outside campus.

“They require counselling on a number of issues such as how to study effectively and how to develop healthy interpersonal relationships,” he said.

He indicated that these students also needed counselling support to manage problems such as depression and anxiety and how to secure employment after school and added that every nation required the appropriate skilled human resource to promote its development. He stressed that guidance and counselling could help students identify suitable careers and accelerate socio-economic advancement.

Counselling at the workplace 

Prof. Kuupole also called for workplace counselling to improve productivity. He suggested the formation of a counselling association with its code of ethics geared towards guiding the practice of guidance and counselling in Ghana.

The Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Joseph Ghartey-Ampiah, who chaired the function, said guidance and counselling was necessary to help society deal with emotional conflicts and improve productivity.

Awards were given to those who had contributed immensely to the development of guidance and counselling in the country.

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