• Gabriel Amponsah Adu
• Rev. Charles Kwame Nimo

Educational Guidance and Counselling: History, Meaning and Differences. Gabriel Amponsah Adu Department of Education, MS University of Baroda, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2022-2538 Email: aduamponsahgabriel3@gmail.com Phone: +233245722175/+919574035412 Charles Kwame Nimo Effiduase Senior High Commercial School Post Office Box 14 Effiduase, Ashanti Region Ghana chajura@gmail.com Abstract This paper aims to draw educational stakeholders, counsellors and psychologists' minds to the historical background of guidance and counselling, the difference between guidance and counselling and its contribution to educational development. Education aims to give students opportunities to realise their full potential in educational, vocational, social, and emotional development. Guidance and counselling are essential for students to reach their self-actualisation. It is a process that assists students in discovering their own needs, interests, and abilities to help them develop their objectives and plan to achieve them. Guidance is the general process of assisting someone to solve a problem. On the other hand, Counselling refers to the process of counselling by a professional counsellor based on the client's particular psychological or personal issues. This paper highlighted the meaning and concepts of guidance and counselling, the historical background of guidance and counselling, the objectives of educational guidance and counselling services, the difference between guidance and counselling, the comparison between guidance and counselling and its educational implications. Keywords: Guidance and Counselling, Differences, Historical, Education, Comparison. Introduction Educational guidance and counselling services prepare students to take on more responsibility for their actions and to grow in their ability to recognise and accept the consequences of their decisions. Educational guidance and counselling, like curricula and teaching staff, are essential to successful education (Nkechi, 2016). Guidance and counselling practise in schools provide an excellent opportunity for learners to cope with their needs for academic and individual growth (Neyland-Brown et al. 2019). Guidance and Counselling have various meanings (Lai-Yeung, 2014). Many scholars and authors have different views and meanings for it. Keyes & Wilson (2018) define Guidance and Counselling as a process that assists individuals in discovering and developing their educational, vocational, and psychological potentials, allowing them to achieve an optimal level of personal pleasure and societal usefulness. According to Akinade (2015), Guidance and Counselling are the entirety of meticulously gathered and collated, current and correct services that counsellors deliver to students or customers for them to make informed choices. Karan (2023) explained that 'Guidance and Counselling' are services and programmes that enhance personal, social, educational, and vocational development. Dhami (2020) contends that guidance and counselling assist in recognising and comprehending one's qualities and abilities and developing an optimistic viewpoint for eradicating destructive features. Salawu (2008) argued that Guidance and Counselling are primarily focused on assisting the individual client in understanding themselves and their surroundings and living an everyday and well-adjusted life. Mweemba (2016) also view Guidance and Counselling as an act or tool used to prevent, remediate, or correct students who engage in social experimentation. Guidance and Counselling is a service that assists individuals in making wise decisions and making life adjustments (Hanisha & Dayal, 2019). Guidance and Counselling. The history of guidance and counselling worldwide differs widely based on how countries and local communities have decided to give personal assistance and counselling. It focuses on giving students the correct advice based on their academic needs, whether choosing the right stream or finding the ideal institution and course following high school. Educational counsellors are typically available in schools and colleges, but you can also seek help from educational counselling services to find the right mentorship for your academic career (Chakmao, 2022). Meaning and Concept of Educational Guidance 'Educational Guidance' comprises two words: education and guidance. As a result, understanding the definitions of 'Education' and 'Guidance' is critical. 'Educational guidance' is best understood and articulated as follows. Educational guidance supports students in critically thinking about schools, curriculum, courses, and school life, all of which contribute significantly to their entire development; it is primarily concerned with the student's academic achievement (Kumari & Malik, 2022). Guidance is a piece of advice or assistance given to anyone, particularly students, on things such as selecting a course of study or career, working, or preparing for a vocation from a person who is superior in the appropriate subject or an expert (Surbhi, 2017). Deduction from the above meanings, Educational guidance can be described as directing, overseeing, or guiding students in a specific path of action. Guidance can be found in every sector, but perhaps it is most prevalent in education. This procedure seeks to make students or persons aware of the correctness or incorrectness of their choices and the significance of the decision on which their future depends. It aids students in picking the best course for them and discovering and developing their psychological and intellectual strengths and goals (Athar, 2019). Educational guidance leads to self-development and assists students in making sensible decisions about their present and future (Karan, 2023). Meaning and Concept of Educational Counselling According to Kumari & Malik (2022), the history of Educational counselling technically began around the turn of the twentieth century, while one could argue that the foundations of counselling and guidance guidelines may be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. Guidance and counselling services are critical components of people's discipline management in all civilisations. Even the most rudimentary societies emerged from the necessity to direct individual behaviour patterns in the collective's best interests. The guidance counsellor's role at the time was to prevent problem behaviours, connect vocational interests to curricular subjects, and assist pupils in developing character. Educational counsellors' roles have evolved. Previously, there were no educational counsellors; instead, teachers provided students with vocational assistance for a few minutes of their day. Counselling is a talking therapy in which a student (client) openly discusses and shares their issues and feelings with the counsellor, who advises or assists the student in coping with the problems (Karan, 2023). It attempts to explore topics relating to personal or socio-psychological concerns that cause emotional anguish or mental instability, making the student feel uneasy. With this, the counsellor listens to the student's problems with empathy and discusses them privately. It is not a one-day process but a series of sessions (Surbhi, 2017). Educational counselling is more than just delivering advice or passing judgment; it is about assisting the student in seeing the root of problems and identifying potential solutions (Karan, 2023). The counsellor also alters the student's perspective to assist him in making the best decision or selecting the best course of action. It will also help the student to be intuitive and optimistic. Educational counselling primarily assists students in dealing with mental health issues. To become a professional counsellor, one needs considerable academic knowledge and training in psychology and a natural desire to assist others (Suhag et al. (2017). A counsellor works directly with students who need psychological help to improve their situation. Because it strives to cure and rehabilitate mentally troubled students, educational counselling encompasses a wide range of subjects, including research, to provide the most accurate psychological supervision, training, and direction for students with psychological difficulties (Adu, 2022). Historical Background of Guidance and Counselling Every human being born into this problematic world has a formidable onslaught of challenges to grapple with to solve and make the most of life. Man's early survival for years is dependent on the attention, care, and affection of others. Still, the degree to which it is offered becomes a vital basis for the individual's lifelong adjustment or lack thereof (Taylor & Buku, 2006). The origins of guidance and counselling can be found in the scholarly writings of Tomaso Garzoni, who authored an article entitled "Universal Plaza of all the Professions in the World" in 1626, which included a chapter regarding career alternatives (Omoni, 2009). Another source of guidance and counselling ideas, according to Wikipedia (n.d.), originated in ancient Greece and Rome with Plato's and Aristotle's philosophical theories. Religious leaders began to practise guidance and counselling as religious organisations, particularly Christianity, flourished in the Middle Ages (Atta-Frimpong, 2013). For example, Catholic priests in Catholic convents and churches used modern-day counselling procedures primarily based on their personal confession theology. The Industrial Revolution became a critical event in the nineteenth century that began to activate conditions that led to the formation of guidance and counselling (Atta-Frimpong, 2013). It spawned social reform, compulsory education, and vocational movements in industrialised civilisations such as the United States of America. According to UNESCO (2002), George Merrill implemented the first systematic guidance service in the United States of America in the nineteenth century at the California School of Mechanical Arts in San Francisco, California. George taught the students the contents of each trade so they could use that knowledge to choose a specific vocation or career path. It was followed by job placement assistance and follow-up service for graduates. According to Makinde (1983), the formal genesis of the discipline of guidance and counselling first appeared in the United States of America in the early era of the Vocational Guidance Movement in the early twentieth century. Between 1907 and 1913, Jesse Davis started his work on guidance and influenced schools to create school programmes on personality, culture, and character development and promote vocational information tied to regular curriculum subjects. He was the first to bring educational guidance services to the school system. As a result, he is regarded as the first School Counsellor in the United States. Frank Parsons, a social and political reformer, pioneered vocational advisory guidance. Frank Parsons, in particular, established a Vocational Bureau in Boston in 1908. As a result, Frank Parsons is commonly referred to as the "Father of Vocational Guidance." Parsons' concern and opinion were that if people can understand their strengths and shortcomings, they may utilise that information to choose between several career paths (Makinde,1983). This trailblazing initiative significantly impacted the development of modern Guidance and Counselling. The vocational guidance movement sought to alleviate impoverished Americans' unemployment, hunger, and poverty. The Boston Vocation Bureau assisted in the development of a system of vocational guidance in the Boston public schools in 1909. The bureau's work impacted the need for and usage of vocational assistance in the United States and other nations. In support of this, (Shertzer & Stone, 1976) claims that Parsons' studies generated favourable results because many children profited greatly from the Bureau services provided. Meyer Bloomfield, who replaced Parsons as director of Boston's Vocational Counselling Bureau, is another pioneer in the evolution of counselling linked with the vocational counselling movement (Ackson, 2021). Meyer Bloomfield was the sole promoter of the first National Conference on Vocational Guidance in the United States of America in 1910. Other pioneers, such as Eli Weaver, advocated the Second National Conference on Vocational Guidance in 1912. By 1918, there were verified examples of the bureau's impact reaching Uruguay, China, and other parts of the world (Shertzer & Stone, 1976). Initially, guidance and counselling were thought to be the most professional, but as the profession grew, other personal problems became a component of the training. For example, the National Association for College Admission Counselling was established in 1937 with a programme emphasising personal, social, and moral growth. Hugo Munsterberg at Harvard University pioneered the development of career guidance in the industry in other nations, such as the United Kingdom, with the release of his work "Psychology and Industrial Efficiency" (Ackson, 2021). Another essential aspect in the history of guidance and counselling in the United States has been the passage of several pro-counselling and pro-education legislation (Gibson & Mitchell, 1990). The Great Depression and the development of government activity during the New Deal era significantly raised public support for guidance programmes (Atta-Frimpong, 2013). Social upheavals caused by the Great Depression and other crises compelled the American government to establish many pro-education and pro-counselling laws (Atta-Frimpong, 2013). More than any other law, the National Defence Education Act of 1958 stimulated the rise of guidance and counselling in the United States. The Soviet Union began the world's first satellite in 1957. The United States was concerned that the Soviet Union had outpaced them in space technology. With the familiar competitive spirit of America's society, the US space industry accepted the Soviet challenge (Gibson & Mitchell, 1990). As part of their endeavour to reach parity with the Soviets in space technology, the Americans chose to revamp the educational system. American politicians agreed that career guidance should be provided to all Americans to attain this purpose in schools (Ackson, 2021). That was the primary purpose of the 1958 National Defence Act. This act made large sums of money accessible to colleges and universities to train guidance counsellors for American schools. Since then, the field of guidance and counselling in the United States has expanded astoundingly (Gibson & Mitchell, 1990). Educational guidance and counselling are now practised in all Educational Institutions in any part of the world. Educational Institutions that practice practical guidance and counselling delivery contributed tremendously to the development of their student's academic, vocational, social, personal and health, which have assisted in solving half of the teacher's classroom problems (Essuman et al. 2006). Objectives of Educational Guidance and Counselling Services The objectives of the guidance and counselling service are similar to the objectives of education in general: developing associations with peers, assisting the student in meeting their basic physiological needs, understanding themselves and accepting others, providing opportunities for independence, balancing permissiveness and controls in the educational setting (Nkechi, 2016). The following are some of the objectives of guidance and counselling in the educational field. Contribute to Students' and the School's Mutual Adjustment Guidance is in charge of establishing and maintaining a constructive connection between students and the school. Teachers and counsellors must be aware of their students' needs. Students must also make changes to the school. They should give back to the school. Students make significant contributions by effectively using school resources and working towards aims. This mutual adjustment of students and school is assisted by making programme improvement suggestions, helping students' adjustment through counselling and developing healthy school-home attitudes by performing educational research. Contribute to the Curriculum Development of the School Counsellors who work with individual students are familiar with their issues and aspirations, the societal pressures they face and their abilities and gifts. Counsellors assist curriculum architects in shaping courses of study that more closely represent the needs of students, as well as supply data to serve as a foundation for curriculum development. Counsellors are frequently left out of curriculum development activities. Timely Attention to Low-Complexity Psychological Problems They correspond to the first level of health care, that is, basic knowledge about self-control, educational interventions in which methods to prevent difficulties in interpersonal communication are taught, stress control, problem-solving, and crisis management are taught, or some behaviours that are not yet dysfunctional but could become so without proper guidance are detected. To Provide Technical Assistance to Teachers Pre-service teacher education programmes often provide little exposure to the more technical components of guidance work. As a result, most schools require support with guidance and counselling responsibilities that are critical to the educational programme. The guidance counsellor is expressly qualified to assist teachers in selecting, administering, and interpreting tests; providing assistance and suggestions regarding counselling techniques that teachers can use in counselling their students; anecdotal, selecting and using cumulative, and other types of records; and providing leadership in the planning and delivery of professional development for teachers in guidance functions. To Provide for the Development of Student Potential The school provides diverse courses and extracurricular activities to all students. A fundamental role of education is to assist students in identifying and developing their potential. The counsellor's responsibility is to help students allocate their energies among the various learning options accessible to them. Every student requires assistance in planning their primary course of study and pattern of co-curricular activities. To Assist Students with Developing Issues Even students who have chosen an excellent educational programme for themselves may encounter challenges that necessitate assistance. A teacher may need to spend one-fifth to one-third of his time with a few students who require a lot of help, depriving the rest of the class of the teacher's full attention to their requirements. The counsellor frees up the classroom teacher's time by assisting these children in resolving their issues. The Objectives of guidance and counselling in educational Institutions have contributed significantly to current educational development (Surbhi, 2017). Counsellors' involvement in curriculum design gives them the counsellors privilege of considering the student's strengths and weaknesses during the curriculum design and planning for programmes and activities that will facilitate the development of student potential, assist students with developing issues, solve student's psychological problems and provide technical assistance to teachers (Adu, 2022). When all these are considered and implemented in the curriculum, teaching and learning become familiar and practical to students and teachers, which intends to improve the education standard. The Difference Between Guidance and Counselling In many ways, the phrases 'Guidance' and 'Counselling' are interchangeable and represent two sides of the same coin (Karan, 2023). Although the phrases guidance and counselling are used interchangeably, they differ. The following points are the significant differences between guidance and counselling:  Guidance to obtain the best possibilities and a comprehensive view of the ramifications of each option is accessible. It is a method of getting answers to specific concerns. For example, a teacher can aid a student in choosing appropriate electives depending on their performance or passion. Conversely, a finance specialist can advise you on the best places to invest your money. Counselling opens new avenues for dealing with challenging situations and offers a more realistic and workable approach. A counsellor provides well-informed answers to mental health difficulties, whereas a therapist leads you through the procedures to keep you from falling into the same problem.  Guidance is advice or pertinent information a superior supplies to solve a problem or overcome difficulty. Counselling is professional guidance given by a counsellor to an individual to help him overcome personal or psychological problems.  Guidance keeps you from going down the wrong path, making poor career judgements, entering into terrible transactions, choosing the wrong job path, etc. On the other side, counselling is curative. Counsellors handle mental health issues and employ ways to return your mind to a healthy state. The solutions aid in healing. Counselling can help you develop the proper attitude, a healthy perspective, and a better mentality.  Guidance relates to supporting clients' general development, while counselling focuses on assisting students with problems.  Guidance work is preventive and progressive, whereas Counselling is supportive and remedial.  Guidance is open, and privacy is reduced, unlike counselling, where complete confidentiality is ensured. Counselling, on the other hand, is always one-on-one.  Guidance is a broad term for a comprehensive educational curriculum of activities and services designed to assist students in developing and carrying out positive life changes. Guidance services include counselling (appraisal, placement, orientation, referral, follow-up, information, and so on). Counselling is a subset of guidance because it is one of the services guidance provides.  Guidance can be delivered to a single person or group. Counselling is one-on-one.  Guidance is provided by a guide, which can be any superior or expert in a specific profession. It is in contrast to counselling, delivered by counsellors with a high degree of ability and who have undergone professional training.  Guidance is a thorough procedure with an external perspective. Conversely, counselling focuses on an in-depth and inner investigation of the problem until the client fully understands and overcomes it.  The guide decides for the client the guidance. In contrast to counselling, the counsellor empowers the client to make decisions.  Guidance is given for educational and career concerns, whereas counselling is provided for personal and socio-psychological issues.  Guidance supports the individual in selecting the optimal option. However, counselling tends to shift the perspective, allowing them to find the solution independently. Knowing the differences between 'Guidance and Counselling' assists in specifying the services and functions of a counsellor and a guide. The difference clearly shows some of the services and functions that a guide who is not a professionally trained counsellor cannot perform. It depicts the division of labour and, thus, the strengths and limitations of a counsellor and a guide in the smooth running of guidance and counselling services in educational Institutions. Comparison Between Guidance and Counselling BASIS GUIDANCE COUNSELING Meaning Guidance is advice or relevant information an elder provides to solve a problem or challenge. Counselling is professional guidance given to an individual by a counsellor to assist him in overcoming personal or psychological problems. Deals with Concerns about education and career. Personal and socio-psychological problems. Process type Preventive. Curative and Remedial. Secrecy Open and less private. Confidential. Work It supports the individual in selecting the best option. It tends to change the perspective, allowing them to solve the problem independently. Provided by Anyone superior or knowledgeable. A person with advanced skills and professional training. Decision making By guide. By the client. Mode One-to-one or one-to-many. One-to-one. Scope It has many services, including educational counselling, financial counselling, career counselling, health counselling, workplace counselling, and many others. Personal and social-psychological help. Provide Provides rapid solutions and judgements. Enables a person to find the best solutions to an issue. Educational Implications 1. Educational institutions should take guidance and counselling seriously to promote students' well-being. 2. Unlike guidance that any superior person can practice, only professionally trained counsellors must practise counselling. 3. Educational stakeholders must consort counsellors when planning curriculum for students. 4. Teacher counsellors in various schools need to know the differences between guidance and counselling to understand 'where', 'when', 'how' and 'who' should practice. Conclusion As a result of the preceding facts, it is evident that guidance and counselling are two distinct phrases. Although they may appear to be the same thing, guidance and counselling are two independent procedures. When students face significant life issues, guidance and counselling become essential for their well-being. As a result, guidance and counselling can help students find the best options for resolving their problems. The main difference between guidance and counselling is that, in most circumstances, guidance relates to helping someone through problem-solving strategies. In contrast, counselling refers to the counselling process conducted by a competent counsellor based on an individual's personal or psychological concerns. Both terms, however, attempt to solve the student's concerns. As a result, both the client and the counsellor must be involved. References Ackson, C. (2021). The History and Development of Guidance and Counselling. https://doi.org/10.1136/aim.10.Suppl.109 Adu, G. A. (2022). 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Guidance and Counselling, Differences, Historical, Education, Comparison

"Educational Guidance and Counselling: History, Meaning and Differences", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 9, page no.f863-f872, September-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2309605.pdf

"Educational Guidance and Counselling: History, Meaning and Differences", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 9, page no. ppf863-f872, September-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2309605.pdf