Guidance counsellors call for increased recognition, improved working conditions

As Jamaica observes Guidance Counsellors Day today, counsellors across the island are urging the Government and education stakeholders to recognise their critical role in schools and communities, saying their contributions remain largely overlooked.

“While Teachers’ Day in May is widely celebrated, Guidance Counsellors Day has not yet received the same level of national attention, and many counsellors feel less appreciated despite the essential work we perform,” said Leighton Campbell, national president of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education (JAGCE).

JAGCE observes Guidance Counsellors Week during the first week of December, which includes an annual church service and a three-day professional development conference.

Emphasising the dedication of counsellors, Campbell said: “Guidance counsellors work not simply because the tasks must be done, but because our calling is rooted in compassion, care, confidentiality, creativity, concern and commitment to the holistic development of all students.”

He added that meaningful recognition must go beyond words.

“True recognition begins with action. Guidance counsellors deserve improved working conditions, greater access to essential resources, and a meaningful reduction in the current counsellor-to-student ratio.”

JAGCE also called for guaranteed representation in national consultations and the professional reclassification of guidance counsellors.

“One of the greatest gestures of appreciation would be the reclassification of guidance counsellors, recognising us not as guidance teachers, but as professionals in our own right,” Campbell said.

Further to that, he added, "Guidance counsellors should not have to struggle for representation at national stakeholder consultation sessions. The association believes that genuine appreciation requires ensuring that in these spaces our seat at the table should be assured, not negotiated."

In the meantime, the president said the association salutes all guidance counsellors and expresses profound appreciation to its members for their unwavering dedication to the nation’s students, educational institutions, the wider society, and to the association itself.