THERE is a shortage of qualified counsellors in schools, Education Minister Rosy Akbar told Parliament last week.
In response to Opposition MP Salote Radrodro’s queries on the reasons for the shortage, Ms Akbar said higher education institutions were not providing enough qualifications for counselling, and students also showed little interest in the profession.
She said the Fiji National University offered postgraduate diploma in mental health and postgraduate diploma in mental health nursing which were more aligned to the medical profession.
The university, she said, also offered some counselling units in its Bachelors of Education program. Ms Akbar said counselling was a specialist area that needed qualified people.
