Developing a sound HR strategy

  1. Discuss with a colleague human resource (personnel) challenges you face in your organisation. List the challenges you identify. Post your list in the chat forum and get feedback from your peers.
  2. Read responses posted in the forum by your peers as well.
  3. Imagine you are requested to give recommendations that help address those challenges. Compile a short document which is not more than one page suggesting what the organisation can do to address the challenges.

Challenges I face includes : children with learning difficulties and discipline issues.

challenges that i face includes - the children’s from broken family, discipline issues and peer pressure, non readers

Challenges faced in my organisation regarding HR are:

  1. Teachers lacking subject knowledges.

  2. Teachers don’t fully understand and are not adhering to Codes of Conducts, Channel of Communications and Code of Ethics which leads to unprofessional behaviors and insubordination.

  3. Laziness and procrastination attitudes.

  4. Indiscipline of Teachers – they are doing what they want and in their own way but they are not doing what they are supposed to do.
    A. Teachers whom lack Subject knowledge can be assist with the following:

  5. Assessment and Identification:
    Begin by assessing and identifying teachers who may have gaps in their subject knowledge. This can be done through teacher evaluations, classroom observations, and student feedback.

  6. Professional Development:
    Offer targeted professional development opportunities for teachers in the specific subjects where they lack knowledge. This might include workshops, training sessions, online courses, or access to educational resources.

  7. Mentoring and Coaching:
    Pair teachers with mentors or coaches who are subject matter experts. These mentors can provide guidance, resources, and support to help teachers improve their knowledge and teaching methods.

B. Teachers who don’t fully understand their Codes of Ethics, Channel of Communication and Code of Ethics and other Insubordination Behaviour can be assist with the following;

  1. Orientation and Training:
    Provide all new teachers with a comprehensive orientation that includes an overview of the school’s Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, and Channels of Communication. Ensure they understand the importance of these documents and the role they play in maintaining a positive and ethical school culture.
  2. Regular Professional Development:
    Offer regular professional development sessions or workshops on the Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, and communication channels. These sessions should be open to all teachers, both new and experienced, to ensure everyone is informed and up to date.
  3. Documentation and Accessibility:
    Ensure that the Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics documents are well-documented, easily accessible, and available in both printed and digital formats. Make these documents a part of the teacher handbook or school website.
  4. Regular Reminders:
    Send periodic reminders and updates about the Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, and Channels of Communication through email, staff meetings, or newsletters. This keeps the information fresh in teachers’ minds.
  5. Lead by Example:
    School administrators and leadership should lead by example in adhering to the Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics, demonstrating the expected behavior to the teaching staff.
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When discussing human resource (personnel) challenges in schools, it’s important to address the unique issues that educational institutions often encounter. Here’s a list of some common challenges faced in school HR departments:

  1. Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers is a significant challenge. Schools often struggle to find qualified educators, especially in specific subject areas or in underserved regions.
  2. Teacher Professional Development: Ensuring ongoing professional development and training for teachers is essential, but it can be challenging to allocate time and resources for this, especially in budget-constrained environments.
  3. Workforce Diversity: Achieving diversity among teachers and staff is an ongoing challenge. Many schools aim to have a teaching staff that reflects the diversity of their student population, but this can be difficult to achieve.
  4. Teacher Burnout and Stress: Teachers frequently face high levels of stress and burnout, which can lead to high turnover and negatively impact student learning. HR needs strategies to support teacher well-being.
  5. Performance Evaluation: Developing effective teacher evaluation systems that provide meaningful feedback without discouraging or demoralizing educators is a complex challenge.
  6. Budget Constraints: Schools often operate with tight budgets, making it difficult to offer competitive salaries and benefits, which affects recruitment and retention efforts.
  7. Student-to-Teacher Ratio: Maintaining appropriate student-to-teacher ratios can be challenging due to fluctuating enrollments and budgetary constraints.
  8. Legal Compliance: Schools need to navigate complex labor laws, including issues related to teacher tenure, collective bargaining, and discrimination.
  9. Staff Morale and Culture: Fostering a positive work environment and a strong school culture can be challenging, especially in schools facing persistent academic or discipline issues.
  10. Emerging Technologies: Keeping up with technology trends and integrating them into the learning environment while ensuring data security and student privacy can pose HR challenges.
  11. Sick Leave and Substitutes: Managing teacher absences and ensuring the availability of qualified substitutes can be a logistical challenge, especially in cases of unexpected teacher illness or leave.
  12. Parent and Community Relations: Schools often require HR support in managing relationships with parents and the broader community, especially in cases of conflicts or challenging situations.
  13. Compliance and Accreditation: Ensuring that schools meet accreditation standards and comply with state and federal regulations is a significant challenge, especially for larger institutions.
  14. Leadership Succession: Developing and maintaining effective school leadership through mentorship, training, and succession planning is critical but can be challenging.
  15. Special Education Needs: Managing and recruiting specialized staff to meet the needs of students with disabilities can be complex and resource-intensive.
  16. Bullying and Safety Concerns: Addressing bullying and safety concerns within the school community, as well as implementing preventive measures, is a growing challenge in many schools.
  17. Global Pandemics and Health Concerns: Managing health and safety concerns in the context of global pandemics, like COVID-19, has introduced a new set of HR challenges, including remote work and the adoption of health and safety protocols.

Addressing these challenges requires collaboration between HR departments, administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders. Schools must adapt to evolving educational needs, legislative changes, and the well-being of their staff to create a positive and effective learning environment for students.

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Challenges

Inadequate human resource with IT skill for online teaching

Inadequate ICT infrastructure

Low research output in Open and Distance Learning

Inadequate collaborations and partnerships with other universities

Lack of an Education Media laboratory for Technology Enabled Learning.

Suggestions to address the challenges

Capacity building for faculty staff

Motivate and retain

Enhance ICT infrastructure

Initiate inter-University collaborations.

Construction of an education media laboratory

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1 and 2. Challenges

a. Teacher Recruitment and Retention:

  • Attracting qualified and motivated teachers to work in remote or less-developed areas can be challenging.
  • High teacher turnover due to factors such as better opportunities abroad, limited career advancement, and inadequate compensation.

b. Professional Development:

  • Limited access to continuous professional development and training for teachers, hindering their ability to adapt to new teaching methods and technologies.

c. Workload and Stress:

  • Excessive workloads and stress due to large class sizes, administrative duties, and a lack of support staff can lead to teacher burnout.

d. Teacher Morale:

  • Maintaining teacher morale can be difficult, especially in challenging environments with limited resources and community support.

e. Student Diversity:

  • Schools must cater to a diverse range of student needs, including those with special education requirements, limited English proficiency, and behavioral issues.

f. Resource Constraints:

  • Inadequate funding and resources for instructional materials, facilities, and extracurricular activities.

g. Teacher Evaluation and Accountability:

  • Lack of a robust teacher evaluation system and accountability measures can hinder professional growth and quality control.

3. Recommendations to Address These Challenges:

a. Teacher Recruitment and Retention:

  • Provide incentives such as housing support, bonus pay for rural postings, and opportunities for career advancement.
  • Develop partnerships with local colleges and universities to encourage teacher trainees to stay and work in the region.

b. Professional Development:

  • Invest in regular training and workshops, and encourage teachers to pursue further education.
  • Create a mentorship program for experienced teachers to support newcomers.

c. Workload and Stress:

  • Review workload expectations and ensure realistic class sizes.
  • Implement stress management programs and wellness initiatives for teachers.

d. Teacher Morale:

  • Recognize and celebrate teacher achievements and dedication.
  • Foster a sense of community among staff through team-building activities and peer support programs.

e. Student Diversity:

  • Provide training for teachers on inclusive education practices.
  • Allocate resources and support staff to cater to students with diverse needs.

f. Resource Constraints:

  • Advocate for increased government funding and explore fundraising opportunities with the community.
  • Seek partnerships with NGOs, local businesses, and other organizations to provide resources.

g. Teacher Evaluation and Accountability:

  • Develop a comprehensive teacher evaluation system that includes peer reviews and self-assessment.
  • Establish clear performance goals and provide constructive feedback.
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Challenges:
A. Students behavioural: every student come in with different behaviours. It will be time consuming dealing with such issues and leaving or slacking on teaching and learning.

B. Different learning abilities: every child has their own way of learning and it is a challenge to try and target every students needs.

C. Limited online access: this is due to no computer laps and school net.

D. Financing resources needed: a lot of resources need but not enough budget.

How to overcome these challenges:

  1. Be steady, consistent and firm.
  2. Engage students with learning.
  3. Seek help from Ministry of Education
  4. Put up fun activities for donations
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Challenges faced includes slow learners and discipline .
To address the challenges the organization can allocate extra support system for weaker learners. This might need extra staff and resources .
To address discipline issues ,councelors can be arranged for schools. These counselors can move to schools for assistance.

Challenges that are face evryday is the lack of support from parents …absentism is the major problem.

Some common challenges faced in school HR departments:

  1. Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Schools often struggle to find qualified educators, especially in specific subject areas
  2. Teacher Professional Development: Limited access to continuous professional development and training for teachers, hindering their ability to adapt to new teaching methods and technologies.
  3. Workload and Stress: Excessive workloads and stress due to large class sizes

Recommendations to Address These Challenges:

  1. Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Provide incentives such as housing support, bonus pay for rural postings, and opportunities for career advancement.
  2. Teacher Professional Development: Invest in regular training and workshops, and Create a mentorship program for experienced teachers to support newcomers.
  3. Workload and Stress: Implement stress management programs and wellness initiatives for teachers. Ensure realistic class sizes.

Challenges faced are Lack of resources , children from broken families, poor background, discipline, peer pressure, no readers

Typical difficulties encountered by school HR departments include:

Recruiting and Retaining Teachers: Schools frequently face challenges in finding competent teachers, particularly in certain subject areas.

Teacher Professional Development: Teachers’ limited access to ongoing training and professional development makes it more difficult for them to adjust to new teaching strategies and technological advancements.

Overwhelming workloads and stress brought on by big class sizes

Suggestions for Handling These Difficulties:

To enhance teacher recruitment and retention, offer incentives including professional progression opportunities, extra pay for remote postings, and housing support.

Professional Development for Teachers: Make frequent training and workshop investments, and Establish a mentorship program for seasoned educators to assist novices.

Workload and Stress: Introduce wellness programs and stress management techniques for educators. Ascertain appropriate class sizes.

Below are some of the challenges that I faced:
1.Student Discipline.
It is hard to teach and also disciplining undisciplined students. It divert students concentration and disturbs teaching and learning process.

  1. Lack of Interest.
    Some students does not shows interest towards learning at all. This same students are bad influence to their peers.

How to overcome this challenges.

Family Time at home.
Parents and guardian needs to spend quality time with their children imparting knowledge and manners and also keep a close track towards their child academic work.

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  1. Some challenges that I face in my organization are as follows
  • Limited Resources
  • Overcrowded Classrooms
  • Infrastructure and Facilities
  • Curriculum Challenges
  • Discipline issues
  • Parental Involvement: Encouraging parental involvement in a child’s education is a challenge in some cases.
  • Cultural Sensitivity: It’s essential for teachers to be culturally sensitive and aware of the local customs and traditions, especially in a diverse country like Fiji.
  1. Addressing the educational challenges in Fiji calls for a comprehensive and collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders. To combat the issue of limited resources, the government must prioritize increased funding, ensuring that schools are adequately equipped with textbooks, teaching materials, and technology. Overcrowded classrooms can be mitigated by investing in the construction of new schools, thereby reducing the student-teacher ratio and fostering a more conducive learning environment. Furthermore, maintaining and renovating existing school infrastructure is vital to create safe and comfortable spaces for learning.

Curriculum challenges can be addressed through regular reviews that keep the curriculum relevant and adaptable to students’ evolving needs and the demands of the job market. This should include the incorporation of practical skills, vocational training, and life skills into the curriculum. Disciplinary concerns require a focus on teacher training, emphasizing classroom management and conflict resolution techniques while promoting positive discipline strategies with clear rules and consequences.

Involving parents actively in their child’s education is essential; schools should organize regular parent-teacher meetings, workshops, and events to underscore the significance of parental engagement. Cultural sensitivity is critical in a diverse country like Fiji, necessitating cultural competency training for teachers to foster an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for all students. Bridging the digital divide is pivotal by providing schools with access to computers and the internet, thus enhancing learning experiences through technology integration.

Special needs education should embrace inclusive programs tailored to students with disabilities, with teacher training geared toward accommodating diverse learning styles and abilities. Encouraging qualified teachers to join and remain in the profession is crucial. This can be achieved by offering competitive salaries, benefits, and professional development opportunities, thereby attracting the best talent to pursue teaching careers. Collaborating with local organizations and businesses is vital to garner community support for educational initiatives such as scholarships, mentorship programs, and school improvement projects.

Instituting rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems is essential to track progress, identify areas requiring improvement, and make data-driven decisions for educational reforms. To raise public awareness about the importance of education, information campaigns should be launched, encouraging community participation in educational initiatives and advocating for improved resources and facilities. In addressing these challenges, Fiji must maintain a sustained commitment from all stakeholders and establish a comprehensive, long-term plan that continually assesses progress and adapts strategies as needed. Through this collective effort, Fiji can provide a better and more equitable education for its students, ensuring a brighter future for the nation.

So, how discipline challenges relate to human resources?

You gave a very comprehensive list of challenges you face with teachers. The challenges you mention are common in many contexts.

Common challenges posted in this forum are general lack of subject knowledge on the part of teachers, lack of enough awareness of appropriate communication channels, unethical behaviour, cultural insensitivity, and lack of enough financial resources resulting in fewer teachers than needed.
A lot of the challenges mentioned can be addressed through systematic continuous professional development of teachers.

Challenges I face includes : children with learning difficulties, discipline issues, peer pressure and family background.

Discuss with a colleague human resource (personnel) challenges you face in your organisation. List the challenges you identify. Post your list in the chat forum and get feedback from your peers.Read responses posted in the forum by your peers as well.Imagine you are requested to give recommendations that help address those challenges. Compile a short document which is not more than one page suggesting what the organisation can do to address the challenges.