Teachers Role in Guidance:

The concept of guidance, which associated it with the daily activity of the classroom teacher, gives a greater responsibility to him. It means that the teacher who is dealing with children should be given in-service education for discharging his responsibilities in personal, educational and vocational guidance.

The necessity of such an in-service programme is felt because we are at present not in a position to employ special guidance personal in each school. Many of the non-technical aspects of guidance can be taken up by every classroom teacher and some aspects which need technical knowledge may be developed through inservice education.

The standard of living, health and climate, culture traditions and environment, attitude towards sex, etc., are some of the other factors which determine the period. World Health Organisation (WHO) defines adolescence as the progression from appearance of secondary sex characteristics to reproductive maturity, development of adult mental processes and adult identity and transition from total socio-economic dependence to relative independence.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Adolescence, usually characterised by the youthful exuberance as its most endearing hallmark, is a transition period between childhood and adulthood. Its distinctiveness is reflected in rapid, physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioural changes and developments quite often results in anxieties and causes confusion and unrest among adolescents.

Since these changes and developments are primarily related to sexual development which has traditionally been a taboo, adolescents do not have access to accurate information through authentic sources like family or educational institutions.

Besides, being a phase of physical maturity, adolescence is a period of progress towards mental, intellectual and emotional maturity. Since the adolescents lack proper understanding of the implications of this period and relevance of the socio-cultural influences, they start distancing themselves from the adult world.

This suddenness and rapid race with which the changes take place in the body and mind of adolescents and other influences generate a number of problems and special needs which adolescents find difficult to understand on their own.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

So far, there is no authentic source readily available to them through which they can get scientific knowledge regarding the changes and developments in them, they fall back upon the peer-group that itself is ill-informed which provide wrong information. They develop misconceptions resulting in awkward and undesirable behaviour.

It is necessary for the adolescents to behave in a right manner and establish themselves and cooperate at home and outside. They need authentic knowledge that helps them understand the process of growing up without partical reference with reproductive and sexual health needs.

They have to be well equipped to cope with the problems which they confront during the transitional phase. They need guidance and independence simultaneously to explore life for them in order to attain a level of maturity required to make responsible and correct decisions.