The Executive Chairman of Anambra State Basic Education Board, (ASUBEB), Dr. Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi has directed Guidance Counselors in the state, to look into guiding pupils to make informed career choices, based on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Nwadinobi gave the directive on Friday, during the 2024 State flag-off of Career Convention for outgoing Primary Six learners across public schools in the state.
The event held at the Utility Hall, ASUBEB headquarters Awka, attracted professionals across various career lines, aimed at exposing the pupils to the prospects and challenges of the various careers, and to enable them make informed choices.
It had as its theme- ‘Entrepreneurship for the Young Learners.’
Speaking at the event, Dr. Nwadinobi noted that most of the problems people have in their older lives were as a result of the wrong choice of career.
These wrong choices, she noted, could be due to parental influence, peer group pressure, or perceived dominant careers in specific environments.
According to her, the event was designed to educate the pupils on the need to choose wisely when considering life careers, by ensuring that they are made to know the pros and cons of the individual careers they are hoping to take up.
“This programme is targeted to assist the state churn out graduates that are wealth creators.
“We underscored the need to begin early to empower the pupils with the right knowledge to make informed career choices and that is why we believe that career guiding is the fulcrum of guidance counseling in our basic schools.
“For instance, a child that always has a phobia of seeing blood, and the parents are insisting that such child should go into the medical line, will not make meaningful progress in that career line.
“Career choice determines the level of progress a child can make in life and our guidance counselors must begin to assist our pupils focus on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship,” she posited.
Earlier in her remarks, the ASUBEB Guidance Counselling Desk Officer, Nwakaego Chigbo, noted that the event was in the actualization of the dream of catching the children young.
She said; “This event is to acquaint the young ones with the right exposure for them to be engaged in skill acquisition before leaving primary school education.
“This is mainly for Primary Six learners graduating in the next few weeks.
“All in all, we have some resource persons to showcase their talent in specific fields such as entrepreneurship skills, Agriculture, Tailoring, Fashion Designing, and Catering Services.”
Also speaking, the Director of Academic Services, Mrs Ngozi Enendu said the day is remarkable for the outgoing primary six learners, “because career choice equips an individual with the necessary tools and decisions about career vocation, aligning their interest, strengths and values their chosen professions.
“It also exposes them to the world to work, visualize occupations as well as prepare and enter into such careers.
“I therefore advise the learners, not to be carried away with worldly frivolities but to concentrate on the knowledge gathered today, to be a better being for yourself, your family, and the society at large.”
Pupils were taken on different entrepreneurial skills like fashion/design, Bakery/ Custard making, and Agriculture/ farming by the Resource persons, Eze Irene, Offor Ogechukwu, and Ezue Judith.
Welcome songs match past, and drama by pupils of some selected schools also formed the highlights of the event.
Permanent Board Member 1, Hon Mrs Ifeyinwa Anatune, Permanent Board Member 3, Lady Chinyere Azodo, Officers in Charge of 21 Local Government Education Authorities and Guidance Counselling Desk Officers were. present during the Career Convention flag-off.
