Professional Assessment of Counselling Service Delivery in Federal Government Colleges Across the North Central Zone

The quality of counselling service delivery in federal government colleges determines the extent to which students receive the academic, personal, and career guidance support they require, yet systematic professional assessment of these services in North Central Nigeria has not been conducted. This study professionally assessed guidance and counselling service delivery in eight Federal Government Colleges across Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and FCT, using a structured evaluation framework. A mixed-methods professional assessment was employed, combining a counsellor competency survey administered to 24 counsellors, a student service utilisation and satisfaction survey with 480 students, and structured facility assessment visits. Assessment dimensions covered counsellor qualification level, caseload, service visibility, record-keeping, referral systems, and confidentiality standards. Results showed that 62.5 percent of counsellors held the required minimum qualification. Average student-to-counsellor ratio was 1:847, far above the NBTE-recommended standard of 1:400. Service utilisation was low at 16.4 percent, driven primarily by academic support needs. Only 41.7 percent of counsellors maintained consistent individual counselling records. Referral systems to external mental health services were functional in only 25 percent of assessed colleges. Student satisfaction with available services was moderate (mean 3.1 out of 5). The study recommends immediate counsellor workforce expansion, professional competency upgrading, standardised record-keeping systems, and external referral protocols for all Federal Government Colleges in the North Central zone.

Keywords: counselling service delivery, Federal Government Colleges, North Central Nigeria, professional assessment, guidance counselling