Developing a sound HR strategy

Courses QA4ODFL2
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Challenges faced in school are:

a. Students discipline- most of the times students need to be counselled during learning and teaching time.

b. Student’s lack concentration in school work - they do whatever they like.

c. Parental support - some parents totally ignore their child’s school work

d. Professional development for teachers - need to be updated with any changes in curriculum

How to overcome these challenges:

a. Students need to be taught moral lessons and proper counselling to be done.

b. Students need to eat balanced meals and know the importance of education

c. Parents need to help their child and participate in school activities.

d. Teachers need to be well trained with professionalism .

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1. Challenges I face:

  • Lack of parental support - Parents are not concerned about the child’s welfare and wellbeing. For e.g. A Year 1 child coming to school without lunch and the parents do not even bother to inform the teacher about it or bring the lunch to school.

  • Poor attendance and discipline issues - This usually happens when children come from broken families. Also for my class I have analyzed the behavior of students and have come to know that those students coming from broken families turn to have discipline issues in school.

  • Teachers are overloaded - Too much workload for teachers. Apart from learning & teaching there’s lots of documentation to be done.

  • Overcrowded classroom - because zoning policy not being followed and given importance.

  • Inclusive Education - It is good to some extent but in my case I think children with special disabilities should go to special school instead of coming into mainstream. I have an autistic child in my class whereby the gets very violent with other students. Also the child starts spitting on the floor, throws books/papers around, taking things out from organization board, spilling water on the floor purposefully. This is a major hindrance towards learning and teaching because it takes a lot of class time to clean up the mess.

  • Teacher Morale - no recognition from the organization. Teachers are not given importance even in the societies.

  1. Recommendations:
  • Lack of parental support - Parents to be made aware about their roles and responsibilities.
  • Poor attendance and discipline issues - Parents to be made aware about their roles and responsibilities because nurturing of moral values begins from home.
  • Teachers are overloaded - Reduce the amount of work
  • Overcrowded classroom - Strictly follow zoning policy
  • Inclusive Education - to have certain criteria as to which child can go to mainstream
  • Teacher Morale - Reward teachers by increasing the pay, Recognize the hard work and effort teachers put in everyday.
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CHALLENGES FACED

  1. TEACHER SHORTAGES
    Teachers looking for new opportunities abroad and better pay which results in excessive workloads to other Teachers which causes a lot of stress.
  2. EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD & ENDLESS PAPERWORK
    Especially teaching Multi Class-Teachers teaching such classes have a triple workload compared to Teachers teaching a straight class which includes paperwork.
  3. LACK OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
    Limited PD sessions and training for Teachers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

  1. TEACHER SHORTAGES
    -Diversify recruiting efforts
    -Review pay net and create attractive pay packages and retirement benefits
    2.EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD & ENDLESS PAPERWORK
    -Review workload and paperwork expectations and ensure realistic distribution of Teachers to lighten teaching load.
  2. LACK OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
    -Create and design regular training and PD sessions to encourage and enlighten Teachers by learning new job related skills.
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Introduction: Human resources are the most valuable asset of any organization. Effectively addressing HR challenges is essential for the long-term success and growth of any organization. This is some of the recommendation addressing HR challenges.

  1. Talent Acquisition and Retention:
    a. Implement a robust recruitment and selection process to attract top talent.
    b. Develop competitive compensation packages and benefits to retain skilled employees.
    c. Establish a positive workplace culture that fosters employee loyalty and job satisfaction.
    d. Invest in professional development and career advancement opportunities.
  2. Workforce Diversity and Inclusion: a. Promote diversity at all levels of the organization by actively seeking diverse candidates.
    b. Create an inclusive workplace by providing equal opportunities and respecting individual differences.
    c. Offer diversity and inclusion training for all employees to foster a harmonious work environment.
  3. Training and Development: a. Develop a comprehensive training program to enhance employees’ skills and knowledge.
    b. Encourage continuous learning through workshops, courses, and mentorship.
    c. Regularly evaluate training effectiveness and provide feedback to improve content and delivery.
  4. Employee Engagement:
    a. Conduct regular surveys to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement levels.
    b. Act on survey feedback to address concerns and enhance the workplace experience.
    c. Organize team-building activities, recognition programs, and communication channels for feedback.
  5. Succession Planning:
    a. Identify potential leaders within the organization and groom them for leadership roles.
    b. Establish a formal succession planning process to ensure continuity in key positions.
    c. Encourage cross-training to prepare employees for various roles.
  6. Performance Management: a. Set clear performance expectations and objectives for all employees. b. Implement regular performance reviews and constructive feedback sessions. c. Recognize and reward outstanding performance to motivate employees.
  7. Employee Well-being: a. Promote work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements. b. Provide access to wellness programs and resources for physical and mental health. c. Address workplace stress and mental health issues through counseling and support.
  8. Communication and Transparency: a. Foster open and transparent communication channels within the organization. b. Keep employees informed about company goals, changes, and challenges. c. Encourage feedback and suggestions from all levels of the organization.
    Addressing HR challenges is vital for creating a positive, productive, and motivated workforce. By implementing these suggestions, I believe the organization can enhance its human resources practices and contribute to its long-term success and growth.
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Challenges faced in my organisation:

  1. Communicating with parents. At times parents can become aggressive.
  2. Pressure from school administrators or education officers to come up with new strategies.
  3. Behaviour and classroom management.
  4. Time-consuming administrative work.
  5. Staying up to date with learning technology.
  6. Burnout. Teachers feel drained out after working on lesson plans.
    Recommendations:
    Teachers are shaping the next generation, those that will decide what the future looks like. But this noble work doesn’t come without challenges. Many teachers face challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. These challenges includes communicating with parents, pressure from office, behaviour and classroom management, time consuming paper work, technology and burnout.
    It is important to understand the daily challenges teachers face. It can help parents and administrators better support teachers and help teachers know that they are not alone in their struggles.
    My recommendations to help address these challenges are:
  7. Students need to be fully supported both in school and at home. Therefore, parents should be educated through CAPS meeting or home visits.
  8. Teachers are often under a lot of pressure by school administrators and education office to come up with new strategies to improve student learning. It is recommended for teachers to keep upgrading themselves. The education district can also provide opportunities for teachers to attend PD’s.
  9. Behaviour and classroom management, teachers to create distinct behavioural and academic plans. Also engage students with engaging lessons.
  10. Time consuming paper work- curriculum to be set in such a way that less written work is on teachers. At the same time, effective teaching takes place.
  11. Technology. Every year there are a slew of new apps, websites and other technology tools created to improve learning process. Recommendations is for teachers to upgrade their IT knowledge.
  12. Burnout- Administrators and parents to take an active role in education in order to help prevent teacher burnout.
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Challenges .
It happened because of poor support also the environment of the students from his or her family may cause this problem.

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Challenges:
A. Students discipline: since corporal punishment is not allowed in school children’s behaviour is getting worse. Students are not getting severe punishments.

B. Different learning abilities: every child has their own way of learning, and it is a challenge to try and target every student’s 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. Government must have severe punishment for students who are breaking the rules.
  2. Engage students with learning.
  3. Seek help from Ministry of Education
  4. Finding donors
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  1. Challenges identified:
  • Teachers’ professional development.
  • Lack of online learning facilities in school.
  • Lack of knowledge in operating the online platform by teachers.
  • Students in disciplinary actions and absenteeism.
  1. How to tackle those issues:
  • Head of School to ensure there are ongoing PD session and training for teachers to be updated and recorded.
  • Government should support the schools with smart learning facilities, such as; smart board.
  • There should be workshop for training of teachers in learning online platforms.
  • Government together with the Head of School to have standard rules and regulations for students to solve their behavioral problems.
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Learning activity 2

Challenges

  • Monitoring performance.
  • Leadership development.
  • Change management.
  • Health and safety.
  • Workforce diversity.
  • Employee retention.
  • Conflict management.

Recommendation

  • For monitoring recommendation can be designing template to identify the performance of employee daily.
  • Leadership development recommendation can be assisting employees to understand effective leadership styles to be utilized in during situation.
  • Change management recommendation can be assisting the employees to develop skills required for the development and change.
  • Health and safety recommendation can be developing strategies to enable employees’ practice safety at all time. Conduct occupational health and safety meetings regularly.
  • Workforce diversity recommendation can be encouraging teamwork amongst employees. Assisting employees and motivating them to perform effectively.
  • Employee retention recommendation can be guiding employees and motivate them to perform better through professional development session.
  • Conflict management recommendation can be encouraging teamwork and provide strategies on resolving conflicts to maintain healthy relationship.
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  1. Employee Burnout: Many employees have reported feeling overwhelmed and experiencing burnout, which can lead to decreased morale, increased absenteeism, and reduced productivity.
  2. Communication Issues: Inefficient communication within and between teams often results in miscommunication, leading to misunderstandings, errors, and conflict.
  3. Inadequate Professional Development: There is a lack of structured training and development programs for employees, hindering their career growth and limiting our ability to retain top talent.
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Some challenges faced in our organizations include:

  1. Diverse Leaners and meet the needs of special students in the class.
  2. Limited resources like insufficient funding, technology and inadequate infrastructure.
  3. Lack of digital literacy skills
    To address these challenges:
  4. Teachers should adopt inclusive teaching strategies to accommodate diverse student needs and create an inclusive learning environment.
  5. Educational organizations should prioritize investments in resources, seek additional funding sources, and collaborate with external stakeholders to address resource limitations.
  6. Teachers can participate in professional development programs for the successful integration of technology in the classroom.
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  1. Student teacher – schools have good infrastructure, resource materials, appropriate funds allocated and high student enrolment, however, the value of all these is reduced if there is an inadequate supply of suitable teachers to teach the large number of students in the class.

  2. Technology - can also be employed for rapid and accurate learning systems, such as computerized grading and reporting, eliminating the need for stacks of paper where teachers play a crucial role in keeping up with the times to increase efficiency in various tasks.

  3. Leadership (Role models) – HOS are violating the code of conduct and code of ethics of the education system. They are not playing their roles up to expectation and are getting involved in indecent acts.

  4. Inclusive Education – there are not enough special ed qualified teachers who are able to cater for the special needs students. Teachers teaching mainstream schools do not have the knowledge of sign language is one of the many examples.

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Challenges met:
A. Inadequate human resource with IT skill to man this approach, that is open schooling.
B. No research output for open and distance learning.
C. Lack of education media (computer lab) for technology learning.

Suggestions:

  1. As a school leader there should be an initiative for staff development program to improve the human resource of the school.
  2. There should be some incentive to get funds for the establishment of the school research output and school education media.
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For me, few challenges iro our institution:

  1. HR recruitment, there are no policy guidelines for staff recruitment, The Principal set out guidelines, sometimes with its administrations. Guided written policy non exist!
  2. Staff are not qualified (don’t have skills) for the job given
  3. Very low HR motivation, initiatives, and promotion
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I guess responding to the huge challenges presented by fellow participants may take a great deal of time and efoorts d analysis the situations… As the course put it, the SWOT is the best analysis tool. With such a tool, we can assess our own STRENGTHS, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITIES and TREATHS OR CHALLENGES.

Say for examples, in our institutions, there is a standard guiding policy within the higher body, unfortunately, the institution is far too long operating in one of the most isolated island in Kiribati, that standard policy within local institutions should always reminded of, or other way or another.

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The challenges I face in my organization regarding Human Resources are:
Poor teacher welfare
Sometimes, some teachers land jobs in schools that are underdeveloped. They do it in order to have a source of income as they target other greener pastures. However, these schools usually have poor welfare of teachers in form of;

  • Poor housing facilities
  • Bad food
  • Inadequate water and other necessities
  • Little or no allowances

Teachers with a poor welfare have lots of stress, which usually affects the way they do their job, and sometimes forcing them into premature resignation and sometimes, quitting the job for good.
Suggestions
The school committee and the parents are needs to address the importance of the welfare of a teacher in order to get good teacher into their school.

Learner absenteeism

Whether you like it or not, you’ll always have students that deliberately miss your classes. Some teachers think you can simply swallow it and move on, but it’s not that simple because.

  • It causes imbalanced overall performance in your classroom
  • Other clean students are subject to bad influence from the absentees
  • It makes even the good students weak if overdone

Clearly, it’s a challenge and it bothers every teacher. Some teachers roll call their students, while others issue punishments or forward the case to higher authorities to handle.
suggestions
Parents needs to be well informed the importance of students coming to school every day and what are the effect on students absent from school most of the time.

Inadequate teaching aids

Teaching aids make the job faster and easier for teachers, and the enable students understand and learn faster. This is why every school should have essential stuff like.

  • Chalkboards

  • Maps

  • Charts

  • Globes

  • Foot rulers, etc
    Without teaching aids, there are so many things that could go wrong like.

  • Teachers spending more time explaining simple concepts

  • Students failing to understand even the most basic stuff

  • Teachers taking the blame whenever students fail to understand or claim they don’t understand a topic

However, some schools have enough money at their disposal, meaning they can possibly access any sort of teaching aids they need for their teachers to conduct smooth lessons.
suggestions
Head of school and the school committee need to see this first before starting the school term by buying this stuff with school money.

Heavy workload

Due to certain reasons, some schools are understaffed, and that’s the usual cause or overworking. In other cases, some schools make it compulsory for teachers to do other things they aren’t paid for, like personally cleaning the compound or teaching extra lessons in the night.

The effects include;

  • Stress
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Burnout
  • Negative attitude towards work
  • Stress-related diseases like heart disease
    suggestions
    The Ministry of Education needs to limit the paperwork of teachers inside the classroom.

Undisciplined learners

In every school, there are those learners that are committed to giving teachers daily headaches and heartaches. Undisciplined learners pose a huge challenge in the school because;

  • They negatively influence other learners
  • Undermine all the school rules
  • Sometimes, they put the school on a brink of a chaos outbreak
  • Vandalism of school property

In every school, peace and order are very important things to maintain the smooth sail of all education activities.
suggestions
Counselling the students and allows parents to talk to their child at all times and teach them well-mannered behavior at home.

Poor teaching environment

Every school has its own environment, but not all are favorable. Some schools just don’t have what it takes to give teachers a good teaching environment. The flaws include;

  • Poor infrastructure
  • Inadequate space in school premises and classrooms
  • Bad neighborhood, eg being next to noisy places
  • Poor electricity supply

While in a poor teaching environment, it’s hard for teachers to teach and students to thrive. This, therefore, poses a great challenge for teachers.
suggestions
Parents and the committees need to be well understood in order to get a teacher into their school their need to improve the teaching environment.

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For the institution I mentioned, an internal (local) Human Resource should set up a standard of procedure, from top-level Management to that a strategies in place, by top level management is always followed, Always best that an administration body meets weekly, or so often to monitor, assess, and review strategies in place. A good system in place for long, can not always remain so, there is and will always a tendency to experience set backs. Without continuous review to our system in place will soon lead to big negative impacts.

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Totally agree @deepakdprasad Well said.

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Some challenges faced in schools are:

  1. Student to teacher ratio.( Overcrowded classrooms.)
  2. Limited Resources.
  3. Curriculum challenges.
  4. Discipline and Behaviour issues.
  5. Introduction of Numeracy and Literacy Assessment ( Waddington), Intervention for Waddington and Morning routine.
  6. Lack of digital Literacy skills.

Addressing these challenges requires:

  1. More PD sessions for the successful intergration of technology in the classrooms.
  2. Look into the student teacher ratio to avoid overcrowding and manage discipline issues.
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Human resource challenges faced are:

  1. There is brain drain due to skilled migration. Skilled workers are leaving for better career opportunities. This brain drain affects both the public and private sectors, leading to a loss of valuable human capital.
  2. In the Islands or remote places there is limited technology. This leads to communication breakdown, lower productivity and the modern ways to operate human resources is a challenge.
  3. Engaging and motivating employees is in Fiji. Low employee engagement levels can result in decreased productivity, increased turnover rates, and a negative work environment.
    By understanding these challenges and implementing appropriate measures, organizations can effectively manage their human resources and drive sustainable growth.

To address the issue of human resources challenges organizations need to

  1. Implement effective retention strategies such as competitive compensation packages, career development opportunities, work-life balance initiatives, and recognition programs to retain their top talent.
  2. Invest in infrastructure development and provide training to employees to bridge the digital divide.
  3. Focus on creating a positive work culture, providing opportunities for growth and development, recognizing employee achievements, and fostering open communication channels.