COUNSELLING NEEDS FOR THE MENTALLY RETARDED IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITY BASIC EDUCATION IN ABUJA

Inclusive education is not a marginal issue, but is central to the achievement of quality education for all learners and the development of more inclusive societies. Thus, the common saying within the global inclusive education movement "if we learn together, we learn to live together". Hence, the study investigated the factors that cause mental retardation and the needs for counselling. The roles of parents, teachers and counsellors in managing the mentally retarded were examined. The study used a descriptive survey. Fifty (50) professional counsellors were involved and the researcher interested with the teachers from the school for the disabled, Kuje, FCT Abuja. Four (4) research questions were developed by the researcher to elicit useful information. This questionnaire was made up of items derived from the reports of the guidance Counsellor working in FCT schools for the challenged students in the University Basic Education (UBE) in Abuja, Nigeria. The researcher used mean scores to analyze the data. The finding showed that there are certain factors that cause mental retardation. The finding also showed that there are Counselling needs and techniques in managing students that are mentally retarded. The researcher made some useful recommendations for the parents, teachers and Counsellors based on the finding and conclusion drawn from the analysis of the problem