Strengthening Guidance And Counselling Services For Enhancing Undergraduate Students’ Discipline: A Case Of The University Of Dodoma

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the strategies of strengthening guidance and counselling services in enhancing students’ discipline in Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania. The objectives were to determine the prevailing indiscipline cases of undergraduate students in HLIs, examine the extent to which the provided guidance and counselling services in HLIs enhance students’ discipline, and to explore guidance and counselling strategies that can enhance students’ discipline in HLIs in Tanzania. Social Cognitive Theory propounded by Albert Bandura (1986) guided the study. It was a mixed approach but predominantly using the qualitative approach. A descriptive research design was employed to generate data from 128 respondents who included deans of students, 14 wardens, 103 students, 7 students’ leaders, and 3 religious leaders. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings revealed that indecent wearing, cheating in academic assessments, theft, abortion, sexual activities in halls of residence, corruption, skipping classes, and alcoholism were among common indiscipline cases at higher learning institutions. Homosexuality, e.g. lesbians and gays among students were revealed among the extraordinary indiscipline cases. The study revealed that homosexuality was developed from home and primary boarding schools before the students joined university education. Guidance and counselling to students at the campus were unsatisfactory due to lack of qualified personnel, lack of a private room for the counselling sessions, lack of policy, guidance, and counselling units, willingness of the students to seek counselling services, and little support from the management. The study concludes that there are many indiscipline cases in higher learning institutions, which require the attention of stakeholders. However, some of the officials responsible for managing students’ discipline did not work honestly enough to manage students’ discipline cases. Therefore, it is recommended that deliberate measures are required for the institution reputation all indiscipline cases and rigorous actions should be taken to maintain the institution reputation. Institution management needs to provide frequent counselling training to the wardens who are counselling providers. Further, a conducive and private place should be established for the counselling sessions.