Importance of career counselling in schools

The results of almost all the examinations whether school based or competitives  have been declared and the children and the parents are in the queues trying to get them admitted in the college or the school of their choice.Some students might have done very well and will get the admission as they desire but for some it may not be the case and they might not even get the admission in the college or the school of their choice with the subject combination they wish to take.It is often heard from the parents and the students that this is the subject of my interest though the grade/marks say a different story. It is true that at times the grades or the marks may not reflect the correct picture but they give some idea about the child`s aptitude. When the children are asked what makes them to believe that they have interest in a particular subject, in most of the cases there is no proper answer for that.When they are asked whether or not they got aptitude test done again maximum of them reply in a negative. The parents and children in smaller cities and towns are not really much aware of such tests and that puts them in such situation because whatever they decide it is based on the information they receive from friends and relatives.The problem with most of the people is that they themselves are not very sure of what they are good at. If they find somebody talking good about science and maths they get interested in that and if at some other time they listen somebody talking good about political science or commerce they get impressed by that also and hence this impression makes them feel that the child is interested in this or that subject. In the last many years of my  being involved with the education of the children and being a witness to the same story every year of the subject choice of the students in class XI, I have observed that the parents and the children who never showed any interest towards any particular subject or subjects, all of a sudden realise the child`s area of interest. The parents who never had any time to come to meet the teachers during the year, suddenly have a lot of time, at the time of admission to class XI. And interestingly in most of the cases, after the admission has been granted,they seldom get time to follow up whether their child is doing well in the so called subjects of his/her interest or he/ she is facing some problem in coping-up with the subjects wrongly chosen or forced upon him/her.
This problem is not of one school or one parent or one child rather many of us are affected by this.The reason for this is that in our country we  still do not give much importance  to the aptitude of the children rather follow the traditional path. We are, by nature the follower than being adventurous and be confident of exploring new fields. We are very protective by nature and avoid taking risk which makes the children develop the same nature and opt for the subjects he / she is impressed by and not necessarily interested in.In most of the cases this is the impression which makes the children believe as if it is their interest. Take the example of a TV advertisement in which the child wants to do lot many things depending upon the impact on his/her mind, for example when he watches Sachin Tendulkar,he wants to become a cricketer,when sees somebody flying an aeroplane he wants to become a pilot and likewise.  In this confusing state of mind, the counsellors can play a very important role in identifying the area of interest of the child and help the child and the parents both to overcome their dilemma.They are the ones who can test the child`s aptitude and advise the parents and the child about the field that child will be able to do better in. The example of China will be appropriate where the aptitude and the interest of the children is identified when they are  young and then they are trained and guided as per their aptitude. The result is that the Chinese are doing so well in almost all fields. No country can become great just by the efforts of few of its citizens but when the potential of all is exploited upto the optimum.Our children have the potential to do the same rather better if they are provided opportunities as per their aptitude and real interest.We should not force our wish on our children rather allow them to do well as per their aptitude.If done so the children will enjoy their life otherwise, neither will they be satisfied nor the others around them will be happy.