Guidance: An Introduction

Guidance is closely connected to the entire educational journey of an individual, beginning from the moment a child is born. Since people require support at different points throughout their lives, guidance can be viewed as a lifelong need—extending from infancy to old age.

In its simplest sense, to guide means to direct, show a path, or point the way forward. It goes beyond offering help. For example, if someone falls on a road, lifting them up is assistance, but guiding them means helping them move toward a particular direction or goal.

Guidance applies to all forms of education—formal schooling, vocational training, and non-formal learning—because its purpose is to help a person adapt effectively to their surroundings. It supports individuals in making wise decisions and in adjusting themselves appropriately to various situations.

Need for Guidance

In earlier times, when life was simpler and society less complicated, individuals could rely on family elders or community leaders for advice. Such guidance, however, was usually informal and lacked a deep understanding of personal problems. Teachers and parents also attempted to guide children without professional preparation, which sometimes led to confusion instead of clarity. Today, due to rapid social changes and increasing complexity, individuals require support from trained professionals.

Mathewson (1954) explained that educational guidance offers professional assistance in four key areas:

1. Helping individuals understand themselves
2. Supporting them in adjusting to personal and social situations
3. Orienting them toward present and future life conditions
4. Assisting them in developing their capabilities

Based on these ideas, guidance is necessary for several reasons:

1. Growing Educational Awareness: With increasing population and limited employment opportunities, many educated individuals remain unemployed. Proper guidance can help them identify roles that match their abilities.
2. Challenges in the School System: Schools at all levels face academic and behavioral issues. Guidance services can help shape the curriculum to match students’ needs and capacities.
3. Job Placement: Guidance helps in selecting the right individuals for specific careers.
4. Social and Family Pressures: Rapid societal changes have intensified family conflicts and stress among adolescents, sometimes leading to frustration, discipline problems, and delinquency.
5. Changing Lifestyles: As daily life becomes more demanding, parents have less time for close interaction with their children. This often leads to adjustment problems, making guidance essential.
6. Lack of Career Awareness: In earlier days, children typically followed their parents’ occupations regardless of personal interests or aptitude. Guidance enables students to choose educational paths aligned with their strengths and goals.
7. Shifting Values and Moral Confusion: With changing values and the misuse of religion or morality by some individuals, students need guidance to develop independent, balanced understanding rather than being influenced blindly.
8. Personality Development: Guidance contributes to the overall growth and maturity of an individual’s personality.
9. National Issues: Certain societal concerns—such as caste tensions, economic reforms, and challenges faced by retired individuals—make guidance a national necessity.
10. Changing Role of Women: As the traditional image of women evolves, guidance can help maintain harmony within the family and support women in adapting to new roles.