Counseling services and primary school dropout among children living with disabilities in Bardege division of Gulu city,Northern Uganda.

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the influence of counselling services in reducing Primary School dropout among children living with disabilities in Bardege Division of Gulu City in Northern Uganda. The study objectives were;- To determine the ways by which counselling services integrate children living with disabilities in schools. To examine the ways counselling services improve the discipline of children living with disabilities. And to evaluate how counseling services improve academic performance among children living with disabilities. Descriptive survey study design was used with a sample of 100 participants, The study was conducted between September and October 2021 and covered a period of 7 years that is (2013- 2019). The study found out that counselling services integrate learners with disabilities in schools as agreed by 94% of respondents, improve their good discipline as agreed by 95% of the respondents and help them improve academically as agreed by 87% of the respondents, Jennie (2019) indicates that through counselling services children living with disabilities are assisted to be discipline and able to deal with challenges and realities they face in their academic, social and physical environment. Because of all this, the study concluded that counselling services help to fight and minimize primary school dropout among children living with disabilities. Basing on the findings, the researcher recommended that:- Counselling services in schools should comprise of group and peer counselling sessions. This will help to make children living with disabilities to associate and interact with their fellows and peer school counsellors to enhance their full integration into school system. Teacher/peer counsellors should always reemphasize and remind children living with disabilities about school rules and regulations during counselling process. This will guide such children to improve on their discipline. Teacher counsellors should use counselling opportunities to give homework activities and assignments in relations to specific learning areas to learners living with disabilities. The idea is to allow such children exploit their intellectual abilities and get interested in learning.