The Impact Of School Counselors’ Roles In Preventing The Spread Of Hiv And Aids In Nigeria

School Counselors’ Roles

Abstract

The study investigated the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS among secondary school students in

Osun State, It assessed the precautionary measures taken by secondary school students against

the transmission of HIV/AIDS and appraised the activities of school counsellors in the prevention of

HIV/AIDS. The study was an ex-post facto. Data were collected through a survey that was

conducted among secondary school students in ten Local Government Areas (LGA) of Osun State.

The results showed that level of awareness of HIV/AIDS among the students was high. Majority of

the respondents (99.0%) indicated that they had heard about AIDS. Also, 98.0% believed that there

is AIDS. However, 67.9% indicated that they have never seen an AIDS patient. With regard to how

AIDS can be contacted, majority of the respondents (85.7%) indicated through sharing of syringes,

blade and shaving kits, sexual intercourse with an infected person (82.0%), transfusion of infected

blood (81.3%) and homosexuality (63.8%). Awareness of HIV/AIDS had a positive relationship with

the practice of precautionary measures against the transmission of the disease (r= 0.20, p<0.05).

There was also a significant relationship between activities of school counselors and the practice of

precautionary measures (r= 0.32, p<0.05). The results however showed no significant difference

between male and female secondary school students in their practice of precautionary measures

against the transmission of HIV/AIDS (t = 0.89, p> 0.05). The study concluded that school

counsellors are indispensable in the prevention of HIV/AIDS among secondary school students and

that effective health education is the antidote for the prevention and spread of the pandemic.

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