By James Ahela
The Eldoret National Polytechnic (TENP) targets to train 233 students and staff on guiding and counselling to curb psychological issues in the institution.
18 students drawn from each department and twenty-four (24) others from the town campus will converge together with 10 non-teaching staff and 16 trainers for a three-day counselling training.
The event held at St John’s the Baptist Pastoral Center focuses on empowering young peer counsellors joining the higher institution of learning to address issues of drug, psychological issues, and family disorders among others.
TENP guiding and counselling coordinator Peris Ngala said that the annual event is done for students joining the college to be able to provide guidance and counselling to peers of the same age.
“Our target is to give these students skills and knowledge to be able to address issues in the society and especially with their peers, they relate closely in language and age,” she said.
“Society’s issues keep on changing now and then, social issues today are different from ten years ago, therefore the peer counsellor today should also be aware of the changing times and live up to the needs in society,” she said.
Solving social issues among students
Ngala said that the program has had success in the past as peer counsellors have gone a long way in solving social issues among fellow students.
“When they go out for industrial attachments, peer counsellors have been in a position to address psychological and social issues with the knowledge and skills they have learnt and sometimes refer those clients who are having serious issues,” she added.
The guiding and counselling chief also decried a huge gap of peer counsellors in the college and hopes that they cover the need gradually.
“We are training 204 new peer counsellors but our population is at 17,000, the ratio is still big, we still have a long way to go,’’ she said.
