Sir, – Breda O'Brien's article highlights the important research done by Liam Harkin on the devastating effects of the reduction in the provision of guidance and counselling services in Irish schools ("Cuts in the number of guidance counsellors hit the poor hardest", Opinion & Analysis, May 21st).
The new Government pledges to “enhance” guidance counselling, but at the same time a Department of Education official trots out the failed mantra of a “whole school approach”. What’s everybody’s business is nobody’s business. The Department of Education’s whole school guidance strategy is grand in theory but it doesn’t work in practice.
As a guidance counsellor, I always consulted my teaching colleagues, parents, the school maintenance person and the cleaner. In fact, I listened to everybody who came in contact with my students. They all had an expertise that was different to mine. My expertise happened to be in adolescent counselling and careers guidance – a support now needed by young people more than ever.
Asking colleagues overburdened already to accept additional responsibilities is neither fair nor appropriate. The presumption that anybody can teach a careers guidance programme or counsel adolescents is akin to asking the music teacher to take the honours maths class or the Minister for Education to manage a kindergarten group. If this whole institution responsibility catches on, can we soon expect Dáil ushers to be allocated ministerial roles? – Yours, etc,
RICHARD KEANE,
Drumcondra, Dublin 9.