PathVerge guides · Version 1.1 · October 2026
Guides for counsellors, students and guardians
Read the complete Counsellor Guide and Student and Guardian Guide below, or download either guide as a PDF.
PathVerge
Career guidance for Nigerian secondary schools
Counsellor Guide
Running student sessions, reviewing saved conversations, and publishing final action plans.
1. What PathVerge is and your role in it
PathVerge is a web-based career guidance platform for Nigerian secondary school students, available at pathverge.tech. It is free for pilot schools. A student answers a short assessment, and PathVerge matches the student's strongest subjects and interests to university courses. For each matched course the student can see why it suits them, the JAMB subject combination, the O'Level requirements, JAMB cut-off marks for federal, state and private universities, universities that offer the course, and career paths. Where the data includes them, a course also shows scholarships, Post-UTME tips, professional bodies and the estimated years of study.
An AI admissions guide answers questions in English from PathVerge's verified admissions data and shows the sources behind each answer. PathVerge works in English only, and it never guarantees admission.
Your role as counsellor:
- Prepare the session: school code, class list, devices and internet ready before students arrive.
- Protect the consent gate: make sure guardian consent is given properly, by the guardian, before any profile is saved.
- Help students read their results: the results are advice for reflection and conversation, not a decision.
- Review what students save: read the saved conversations and the AI's suggested next steps.
- Write and publish the final action plan: this is the step that turns advisory output into guidance the student can act on.
- Follow up in school: use your normal school process for parents, subject teachers and next steps.
2. Before the first session: what to prepare
Item | What to do |
|---|---|
School code | For The Incubator Secondary Academy the code is INC-0001. Students type it exactly as given at Step 1 of the assessment. Consent and results are recorded under this code, and your dashboard shows only records carrying your school's code. A mistyped code puts the record outside your dashboard view. |
Your sign-in | Before the session, open pathverge.tech, choose Counsellor Login, and sign in to confirm your access works. The sign-in box accepts your counsellor username or your school code, plus your password. Keep the password private and sign out when you finish. Sessions expire, so you may be asked to sign in again. |
Class list | The assessment offers class choices SS 1, SS 2 and SS 3. Check that each student knows their class before the session starts. |
Devices | Where possible, give each student one device or browser for the whole journey. PathVerge remembers the student's anonymous session in the browser on that device, and the published action plan is shown on that device. If several students use the same browser one after another, the newest student's session replaces the earlier one on that browser, and the earlier student may no longer see the plan card there. Use separate devices, or separate browser profiles, where you can. |
Internet | Students need internet to submit the assessment and to send chat questions, and you need it for the dashboard. A chat question typed while offline is held on the device and sent when the internet returns. The assessment has no such queue: if a submission fails, nothing is saved, and the student should stay on the same step, check the connection and try again. |
Session note | Dashboard records are anonymous: they carry a short learner label, not the student's name. Keep your own note outside PathVerge — date, class, and the question each student saved — so you can match the right dashboard row to the right student. Never type student names into the AI chat. |
The guardian consent position, exactly as the app applies it
- The assessment treats every listed secondary school class as a minor, so Step 4, Guardian Consent, is the normal final step for every student in the pilot. There is no separate age question in the form.
- A parent or guardian must provide a full name, their relationship to the student, and a phone number, and must tick the consent box, which says: “I am the student's parent or guardian and I give my consent as described above.” The final button stays off until all of these are done.
- The statement the guardian agrees to says, in substance: PathVerge may process the child's education information (class, strongest subjects, interests and study preferences) to generate career and course guidance; the child's first name is kept on the device and is not sent to PathVerge; guardian contact details are used only to record the consent under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA); and consent may be withdrawn at any time by contacting the school.
- Consent is recorded first, and only then is the profile submitted. No completed consent means no saved profile.
- If a guardian is not available, or does not agree, the student stops at Step 4. Never enter your own details, another person's details, or invented details to get past this step, and never create a test record with invented guardian details.
3. Running a student session, step by step
The student opens pathverge.tech and chooses Start Assessment (the assessment page is /assess). There are four steps, in this order:
Step | What the student sees and does | Your check |
|---|---|---|
1. About You | School Name (optional — it can be left blank); School Code (required); First Name; Class (chosen from SS 1, SS 2 and SS 3); and Top 3 Strongest Subjects — the student taps exactly 3 subjects from the list of 17. The Next button stays off until the first name, class, school code and exactly 3 subjects are all in. | The school code is exactly INC-0001, and exactly 3 subjects are chosen. |
2. Interests | The student taps at least one interest from the 10 choices. The Next button stays off until at least one is chosen. | At least one genuine interest is chosen. |
3. Preferences | Preferred University Type (Federal, State, Private or No preference); Preferred State (any Nigerian state, or FCT Abuja); and WAEC/NECO Grade Range (Mostly A's (A1–B2), Mostly B's (B2–B3), Mostly C's (C4–C6), or Mixed grades). All three are required. | The grade range honestly matches the student's results so far. |
4. Guardian Consent | The guardian completes the consent step described in Section 2 and the student taps “Give Consent & Find My Path”. | The details are the guardian's own, and the box is ticked by the guardian. |
The 17 strongest-subject choices are: Mathematics, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Government, Literature-in-English, Geography, Agricultural Science, Further Mathematics, Accounting, Commerce, Computer Studies, Fine Arts, Food & Nutrition, and CRS. The 10 interest choices are: working with numbers and data; helping and caring for people; building and designing things; writing, speaking, and communicating; science experiments and research; business, money, and entrepreneurship; technology and computers; art, music, and creativity; farming, environment, and nature; and law, justice, and governance.
What happens when the student submits:
- The device creates an anonymous learner ID. It begins with “lnr_” followed by random characters, and it is not built from the student's name or any other personal detail.
- The consent is recorded first, under the school code.
- Only then is the profile sent, and the student is taken to the results page. If consent recording fails, the profile is not submitted and the student sees an error on the consent step. If the school code is missing, the message tells the student to go back to Step 1 and enter the code the school gave them.
- The device remembers an anonymous learner session (learner ID, school code and a consent-present flag). This is what later lets the chat page offer the save switch and lets the results page show your published plan on that device.
The results page
The results page shows the top 3 matched courses, scored mainly from the student's strongest subjects and interests. The first is labelled “Top Match” and the others “Alternative Match”. Each course card can be opened to show why it suits the student, the JAMB subjects, the O'Level requirements, the JAMB cut-off marks, top Nigerian universities, career paths, and, where the data includes them, scholarships, Post-UTME tips, professional bodies and the estimated years of study. The page header greets the student by the first name held on that device. Buttons on the page include Print PDF and Copy URL. The printed page is titled “Career Guidance Report”, and its printed next steps tell the student to review the recommendations with parents, guardians and the school counsellor, and to check the entry requirements of each university. The results are a guide for reflection and career conversations, not a guaranteed outcome.
On the same device, the results page also shows a card titled “Your counsellor's action plan”. Before you publish, it explains that no action plan has been published yet and that the results and the AI chat are advisory. After you publish, your plan appears in that card (Section 5).
Sharing a summary. The results page also has a Share button. A student can use it to create a shareable summary link to send to a parent. The link opens a read-only page showing only the student's class and the recommended courses summary. It contains no names, contact details, guardian details or raw answers, and the link expires after 30 days.
4. The AI chat: what it can and cannot do
The chat page (/chat) is headed “Ask about admissions”. The student types a question in English. Examples the app itself suggests include asking about the admission requirements for a course, about alternative pathways if the student does not get a university place, and about how to prepare for the next admissions step.
- Grounded answers only. Before answering, the system searches PathVerge's admissions data — admission requirements, the course catalogue, courses and alternative pathways. The guide may use only what that search returns for factual claims such as cut-off marks, JAMB subject combinations and O'Level requirements, and it must cite the matching source.
- Sources are shown. Under an answer, the student sees “Verified sources”, with each source's title, a link, and the date it was verified.
- It must not guess. If the answer is not in its data, the guide must say it cannot confirm it and direct the student to official JAMB information and the university's official website. It must not invent figures, subject combinations or requirements.
- It is advisory only. The chat never makes the final decision and never publishes anything. The app itself tells students that the counsellor reviews summaries and publishes the final action plan.
- If the AI service is unavailable, the student may still be shown the verified sources for the question, with a note that AI chat is not configured yet. Treat that as sources only, not as an answer.
Saving a conversation for your review
The switch “Save this conversation for my counsellor to review” appears only when the student completed the assessment with consent on that same device. It is off by default. The student must switch it on before sending the questions they want you to review; each question and answer sent while it is on, with its verified sources, is saved for your school. Saving is also consent-gated on the server: a saved conversation is refused if no consent record exists for the student.
What to tell students about the chat: ask one clear question at a time; check the sources under the answer; if the guide says it cannot confirm something, believe it and check the official JAMB or university page, or ask you; and remember that the guide advises — it does not decide.
5. Reviewing and publishing: the dashboard
Sign in at pathverge.tech/dashboard, or choose Counsellor Login. The first box accepts your counsellor username or your school code, plus your password. Wrong details produce the message “Incorrect username or password. Please try again.” Every list in the dashboard is restricted by the server to your own school's code, so you only ever see your own school's records.
What the dashboard shows
- Headline cards: Total Students (submissions received), Unique Courses, and Top Recommended Courses.
- Submissions table: learner label, school, class, subjects, recommended courses and date, with a view button on each row. The search box filters by learner label or class — student names are not stored, so there is no name to search for. A course filter shows only students whose recommendations include that course.
- Record detail: the view button opens a panel with the student's class, school, subjects and recommended courses (each with its category and why it suits the student), and a button to open the full results page.
- Analytics: “Show Analytics” reveals charts for subject popularity, course distribution and a submission timeline. The charts appear once the school has at least 3 submissions. In the Aggregate Course Categories chart, course groups with fewer than 5 students are excluded, so small groups do not appear in that chart.
- Export CSV: downloads the currently filtered records — learner ID, class, school name, school code, subjects, recommended courses and date. Treat the file as a school record: store it securely and share it only within the school.
- Delete: you can select submission records and delete them after a confirmation step. There is no undo in the app. Delete removes submission records only; it does not remove consent records or saved conversations. See Section 6 before using it for a removal request.
Reviewing saved conversations and publishing the plan
- Choose “Saved Conversations”. Each row is one saved question and answer from a student at your school, with its status: “Awaiting review” or “Published”.
- Read the student's question (shown as “Key point”), the AI's suggested next steps, and the verified sources.
- Choose “Review & publish plan”. The editor opens with the AI's reply already filled in as a starting draft.
- Edit the draft into the final plan, or replace it with your own words. The plan must not be empty: the Publish button stays off until there is text. Choosing Cancel closes the editor and the draft is not saved.
- Choose “Publish plan”. The app records the plan, which counsellor published it, and the time.
Before you publish | After you publish | |
|---|---|---|
Student's results page | The action plan card explains that you have not published an action plan yet, and that the results and AI chat are advisory. | Your plan text appears in the card, labelled “Published by your counsellor on” with the date. Your internal counsellor ID is not shown to the student. |
Dashboard | The conversation is marked “Awaiting review”. | The conversation is marked “Published”, with the plan, your counsellor identifier and the publication time. |
6. Safeguarding and data
What is collected and stored — verified from the app
Record | What it contains |
|---|---|
Assessment submission | School name, school code, class, strongest subjects, interests, preferred university type, preferred state, grade range, the generated course recommendations, the date, and the anonymous learner ID. The student's first name is NOT part of the submission: it stays in the browser on the student's device so the results page can greet the student. |
Guardian consent record | Stored separately: the anonymous learner ID, one combined guardian identifier (the guardian's full name, relationship and phone number held together as a single consent record), the consent time, and the school code. |
Saved chat conversation | Only when the student switches saving on: the student's questions and the AI's answers with their verified sources, the learner ID and the school code. |
Dashboard display | Anonymous. You see a short learner label (for example, the first characters of the learner ID), class, subjects and recommendations — not student names. |
Who can see what
- A signed-in counsellor sees only submissions and saved conversations for their own school code. The server checks the session and the school on each request. A conversation from another school cannot be opened or published from your account; the app responds as if it does not exist.
- A published plan is shown on the results page of the device that holds the student's anonymous session. Keep school devices supervised, and treat printed reports as school records.
- Student information collected through PathVerge is not sold.
If a parent asks for removal, or withdraws consent
- The consent statement tells guardians they may withdraw consent at any time by contacting the school. Take every such request seriously and act the same day.
- Write down the student's class, the school code used, and the date of the session, so the right records can be traced.
- Do not promise more than the app can do. The dashboard Delete button removes submission records only. There is no counsellor-facing control that removes consent records or saved conversations, and no self-service deletion flow for parents.
- Pass the request to Harmony (Section 8) the same day, and confirm the outcome back to the parent through the school's normal channel once Harmony confirms what has been removed.
Safeguarding rules for every session
- Never weaken or bypass the consent gate, for any student, for any reason.
- Never let a student type names, photos, phone numbers or other personal contact details into the AI chat.
- Keep your counsellor password private, and sign out of the dashboard when you finish.
- If a conversation raises a wider welfare concern, follow your school's safeguarding procedure first. PathVerge is a guidance tool, not a safeguarding reporting channel.
7. Troubleshooting
Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Next button stays off at Step 1 | A required item is missing: first name, class, school code, or not exactly 3 strongest subjects. | Check each field and choose exactly 3 subjects. |
Student cannot finish the Guardian Consent step | One of guardian full name, relationship or phone number is empty, or the consent box is not ticked. | Complete all three fields and tick the box. If no guardian is available or willing, the student stops there. |
Message says the school code is still needed | The school code was left blank at Step 1. | Go back to Step 1, enter INC-0001 exactly, and continue. |
Message says guardian consent could not be confirmed | Consent was not recorded before the profile was sent, or the recording failed. | Return to the consent step, check the details and try again. Check the internet connection. If it repeats, contact Harmony. |
A record does not appear in your dashboard | The assessment was most likely submitted under a different or mistyped school code; the dashboard shows only your school code. | Confirm the code the student used. There is no edit flow for a submitted record, so contact Harmony. |
The save switch does not appear in the chat | The student did not complete the assessment with consent on this device or browser, so there is no learner session on it. | Complete the assessment on that device first. Saving cannot be switched on from a fresh device. |
A published plan does not appear for a student | The student is on a different device or browser, or another student has since completed an assessment in the same browser, which replaced the saved session on it. | Open the results on the original device and browser, and confirm in Saved Conversations that the status is Published. |
A chat question stays “Pending” | The device is offline; questions are held on the device. | Reconnect to the internet. Queued questions are sent automatically. |
Chat shows sources but no AI answer | The AI service reported that it is not configured on the server. | Use the verified sources shown, and contact Harmony. |
You are asked to sign in to the dashboard again | Sessions expire (the server default is 12 hours), and the sign-in is lost when you sign out or start afresh. | Sign in again. The app has no password reset: if the correct password is refused, contact Harmony. |
A plan was published from the wrong conversation | Plans belong to individual saved conversations, and a published plan cannot be edited or withdrawn in the app. | Check the learner label, question and date before publishing. If it has happened, contact Harmony at once. |
8. Support contacts
Harmony Digital Consults Ltd supports the pilot directly:
- Email: harmonydigitalconsults@gmail.com
- WhatsApp: +234 810 097 8587
- Website: https://pathverge.tech
When you contact Harmony, include the school name and code, the student's class, the date and time of the session, the learner label if you can see it, and what appeared on screen. Never send your counsellor password. Share guardian details only if Harmony specifically asks for them so a consent record can be traced.
Thank you for guiding your students through the pilot. Careful consent, careful review and a clear final plan are what make PathVerge trustworthy.
PathVerge
Career guidance for Nigerian secondary schools
Student and Guardian Guide
Find courses that fit you, ask questions, and plan your next step with your counsellor.
1. What PathVerge does
PathVerge helps you choose courses for university.
You answer short questions about your subjects and the things you like. PathVerge then matches you with 3 courses that fit you.
For each course, you can see:
- why the course fits you;
- the JAMB subjects you need;
- the O'Level subjects you need;
- JAMB cut-off marks for federal, state and private universities;
- universities that offer the course;
- jobs the course can lead to.
Some courses also show scholarships and tips for Post-UTME exams.
You can also chat with an AI guide. You can ask it questions about courses and admission rules.
Your school counsellor will check your plan with you. PathVerge helps your counsellor. It does not replace your counsellor.
PathVerge works in English. It is free for schools in the pilot.
2. Before you start
Get these things ready first:
- Your school code. Your counsellor will give it to you. Type it exactly as you are given it. In the January 2027 pilot at The Incubator Secondary Academy, the code is INC-0001.
- Your 3 strongest subjects. Think of the subjects you do best in.
- A parent or guardian. They must give their full name, how they are related to you (for example, mother, father or uncle), and their phone number. Step 4 explains why.
- A phone, tablet or computer with internet. Use the same one for the whole task, if you can.
The assessment is short. Most students finish in a few minutes.
3. Step by step
Open pathverge.tech. Tap “Start Assessment”. There are four steps.
Step 1: About You
- Type your school name if you want to. You can leave it blank.
- Type your school code. You must fill this in.
- Type your first name.
- Choose your class: SS 1, SS 2 or SS 3.
- Tap your 3 strongest subjects. You must tap exactly 3.
- Tap Next.
Step 2: Interests
Tap one or more things you enjoy or care about. For example: numbers, helping people, building things, science, business, computers, art, farming, or law. Then tap Next.
Step 3: Preferences
- Choose the type of university you prefer: federal, state, private, or no preference.
- Choose the state you prefer.
- Choose the grade range that best matches your WAEC or NECO grades.
- Then tap Next.
Step 4: Guardian Consent
This is the last step. Your parent or guardian must do this step with you.
The box your guardian ticks says: “I am the student's parent or guardian and I give my consent as described above.”
The last button will not work until all the boxes are filled in and the box is ticked.
If your guardian is not with you, or does not agree, stop. Your answers will not be saved. That is okay. Talk to your counsellor.
When everything is ready, tap “Give Consent & Find My Path”. You will see your results.
4. Chatting with the AI guide
Open the chat page. It is called “Ask about admissions”. Type a question in English. Tap Send.
Good questions to ask:
- What do I need to study the course I want?
- What JAMB subjects do I need for this course?
- What are the admission rules for this course?
- What can I do if I do not get a university place?
- How do I prepare for my next admissions step?
The guide answers from checked admissions information. It does not use guesses.
Under each answer, you will see “Verified sources”. These are links to the official pages the answer came from. You can also see the date each page was last checked. Tap a link if you want to read more.
If the guide does not have the answer, it will say it cannot confirm it. It will tell you to check the official JAMB website or the university's own website. You can also ask your counsellor.
The guide cannot promise you admission. It cannot make decisions for you.
Saving your chat for your counsellor
There is a switch called “Save this conversation for my counsellor to review”. It is off. Turn it on before you send a question if you want your counsellor to read that question and the answer.
The switch only shows if you finished the assessment on the same phone or computer.
If the internet goes off, your question waits on your device. It sends by itself when the internet comes back.
5. Your results and your action plan
Your results page shows your 3 matched courses. The first one is your “Top Match”. Tap a course to see more: why it suits you, the JAMB subjects, the O'Level subjects, cut-off marks, universities, and jobs.
You can print your results, or save them as a PDF. Tap “Print PDF”. The printed page is called a Career Guidance Report.
Share your results. Tap “Share”. PathVerge makes a shareable summary link. You can send this link to your parent or guardian.
The link opens a simple page. It shows only your class and your recommended courses. It never shows your name, your guardian's details, contact details or your answers. The link stops working after 30 days.
Your results are advice. They help you think and talk. They are not a promise of admission.
Your final action plan
Your counsellor reads the questions you saved. Then the counsellor writes your final action plan. The counsellor must publish it first. Only then can you see it.
You will find it on your results page, in the part called “Your counsellor's action plan”.
Before your counsellor publishes it, that part will say your counsellor has not published an action plan yet. This is normal. Nothing is wrong.
Look for your plan on the same phone or computer you used for the assessment.
What to do with your plan:
- Read it with your parent or guardian.
- Talk about it with your counsellor.
- Follow the steps in the plan, one by one.
- Before you apply, check the real entry rules on the university's own website. Rules can change.
6. Your information
- What PathVerge asks for: your school name (you can leave it blank), your school code, your first name, your class, your 3 strongest subjects, your interests, the type of university and state you prefer, and your grade range.
- Your first name stays on your device. PathVerge uses it to greet you on the results page. It is not sent with your answers.
- Your answers get an anonymous code, not your name. Your counsellor sees the code, your class, your subjects and your courses. Your counsellor does not see your name in PathVerge.
- Your guardian's details — their name, how they are related to you, and their phone number — are used only to record their consent.
- If you turn on “Save this conversation”, your counsellor can read your questions and the AI guide's answers.
- Who sees your information: you, your school counsellor, and your school. A counsellor can only see students from their own school.
- Your information is not sold.
If your guardian has a question, or wants something changed or removed, talk to your school counsellor. You can also contact Harmony. The contacts are in Section 7. A guardian can withdraw consent by contacting the school.
7. If something goes wrong, and how to get help
Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
The Next button does not work | Something is missing. At Step 1, fill in your first name, your class and your school code, and pick exactly 3 subjects. |
The last button does not work | Your guardian must fill in all three boxes and tick the consent box. |
It says the school code is needed | Go back to Step 1. Type the code your school gave you. |
It says consent could not be confirmed | Go back to the consent step. Check the details and try again. Check your internet too. |
Your question says “Pending” | You are offline. Your question is saved on your device. It will send when the internet returns. |
You cannot see “Save this conversation” | You must finish the assessment first, on the same phone or computer. |
You cannot see your action plan | Your counsellor may not have published it yet. Or you are using a different phone or computer. Use the same one as before and check again. Ask your counsellor if you are not sure. |
You can also ask for help here:
- Email: harmonydigitalconsults@gmail.com
- WhatsApp: +234 810 097 8587
- Website: https://pathverge.tech
Good luck. Choose with care, ask questions, and plan your next step.