Importance of HR in Education Sector

Educational Institutions are not like Industries where a raw material, the equipment,
machinery, infrastructure and the finished product all are non living things. In
educational Institutes of higher learning the raw material (students) , the finished
product(passing out students) and the machinery involved (faculty/teachers) in
making the finished product all are human beings.

A proper, congenial environment for the faculties to study, proper books, library to
study, freedom to work is a must to deliver the best to the students, which in the
initial stages of the Institution is a rare thing, and then expecting the best out from
the faculty.

Companies spent lot of money on their HR policies so that they are best to retain
their staff and in educational sector they have closed their eyes on this aspect.
Many other points can be there but in my opinion this is one of the major factors to
be taken care of.

Role of Human Resources and Human Resource Management

It has been rightly observed that every human being is unique; each is born with his
own capabilities and limitations.
Human resources are the most important asset in an organization. The optimum
utilization of natural and manmade resources can be ensured if human resources
are sufficiently motivated. Organizations must necessarily invest time, money and
effort in the development of human resources as the results are well worth the
investment. Human resources can be developed to an unlimited extent since every
human being has endless potentialities.

In any organization the human resource has many identities. Henry Mintzberg has
identified ten such identities and classified them under three broad roles.
A. Interpersonal Roles
As the head of an organization or of a unit within the organization, the human
resource must perform some duties of ceremonial nature. Here the human
resource in question is carrying out the figurehead role.
In the leader role, the human resource is responsible for ensuring that the
work force assigned to the unit performs in a satisfactory manner.
In its liaison role the human resource is concerned with establishing an
external information and mutual assistance system.
B. Informational Roles
The human resource receives and filters information useful to the
organization. The information flows both from the formal organization
communication network and from the external information system developed
in the liaison role. This role is the monitor role of the human resource.
The human resource transfers important information that has been gathered,
to subordinates who would not otherwise have access to that information.
Evidently here the resource is carrying out role of a disseminator.
 The human resource in the spokesman role speaks to the external
environment on behalf of the organization or the organizational unit.

C. Decisional Roles
Through decisions to implement new programmes or to change existing
procedures the human resource performs the entrepreneur role.
In any organization some situations have the potential of becoming crises.
The human resource must respond to such situation, wherein he enacts the
disturbance handler role.
The human resource must also perform the resource allocator role i.e. it must
decide how resources will be allocated among the various units functioning
within the organization.
No organization or unit within the organization is self-sustaining or an island
unto itself. Every unit must interface with other parts of the organization as
well as with outside forces. The human resource is responsible for carry out
the negotiator role, i.e. guiding the negotiations that maintain the proper
environment with other units or with external forces.

The HR department, then, is a facilitator. The only people over whom the head of
the HR department is the boss are others who work in the HR department.

People like teachers, lecturers, assistant professors, professors, and the like all work
for various departments within the institution. A sociology lecturer, for example,
works for the Sociology Department (or "Department of Sociology," if you will); or a
pscychology professor works for the "Department of Psychology," if that's how said
department is named.

None of them works for the HR department. Only HR personnel answer to the head
of that department.

A "principal," at the college/university level (as opposed to the principal of a

secondary school), is different. The principal of a college, university or seminary is
often the highest-ranking "executive" in the institution... and serves alongside (or
with) people who may have titles like "provost," or "chancellor," etc. Those are all
VERY high-ranking positions, and often report to the institution's Board of Directors
(or whatever the equivalent is actually called).

And when people at that high level are hired, the HR department is sometimes not
even involved (or, if it is involved, it's only to do the very most basic things such as
screen-out the obviously unqualified in the earliest stages of the search; or do all
the credential, background and criminal history checking of the finalist, and that's it.
When someone that high-up in a college, university or seminary is hired, it's usually
strictly between the candidate and the Board, and HR never even interviews or talks
to the candidate (other than, perhaps, administratively).

Case study nhi maili par ek interview mila h ess link mai -
http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/manager/2008/07/28/stories/200807285043100
0.htm
SENIOR HR professional L Prabhakar recalls having to perform an inevitable task -
firing an employee. Never a simple act, Prabhakar sat down with the employee and
gave him valuable, honest feedback. Ten year later, he ran into the employee at a
public forum. Surprisingly, the ex-employee said with gratitude, The dialogue
exchanged between us changed my perspective. More than the substance of
communication, it was the empathetic manner in which the HR communicated that
made the difference. L. Prabhakar, today Vice President-HR, ITC (Agri-Business)
maintains a broader vision of HRs role, I am happy when I can make a difference
to an individual.
Agar ye kaam ka lage to link h - http://www.careers360.com/news/9294-career-
review-management
STRATEGIC PARTNER
Understand the functions of the organization
Be present in decision making processes
Strategize execution of actions
Represent employee views in organization decisions
Think independently while working collaboratively
Assist with inter & intra organizational dynamics
HR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERT
Confront & solve problems knowledgeably, creatively
& ethically
Deliver competitive benefit package
Administer fair & equitable employment practices
Administer labor contracts
Manage HR data/records effectively
Provide valued training opportunities
Administer fair, equitable & consistent total
compensation practices
Role of the Head of Department
EMPLOYEE ADVOCATE
Listen to employees' concerns, issues & ideas
Ensure employee voices are heard
Ensure employees are treated fairly & with
dignity & respect
Be employee champion & advocate
Ensure resources are available to meet needs of
employees
Help employees understand strategic decisions
CHANGE AGENT
Help the institution work positive change
Build capacity for change
Help with renewal and transformation
Help individuals and organizations "cope" with
change
Build flexibility into people, organizations and
processes
 Heads of department are academic leaders in their disciplines and

work with their head of college and with other heads of department to deliver University strategic objectives.

Heads of department are accountable to their head of college for:

Leadership
To provide academic leadership in their discipline

To promote the interests and reputation of the department within the University and externally

To ensure that the activities of the department support the colleges objectives

To lead entrepreneurial activity, developing income-generating activities

Research and Teaching

To develop coherent departmental research strategies to deliver high quality research

To manage applications for research funding proactively

In collaboration with programme leaders and/or directors of teaching, to manage the delivery of the
departments teaching programmes

To assure academic quality and standards through compliance with the Universitys quality assurance
procedures

People Management
To oversee the management of staff in the department, ensuring that their performance is monitored
and that staff have opportunities for development and training, in accordance with University staffing and equal
opportunities policies.

To allocate teaching and administrative duties appropriately

To oversee the recruitment, probation and mentoring of new staff in the department in accordance with
University policies

Planning
 To contribute to setting objectives and priorities for the college and to formulating the colleges
business plan for resource allocation purposes

Resource Management
To manage financial, staffing and other resources effectively and efficiently within the assigned budget
and other agreed parameters, to ensure achievement of the colleges strategy and compliance with financial
and other controls

To ensure that the department fulfils its statutory responsibilities (for example, in record keeping and
health and safety) and observes the Universitys policies and procedures

Interdisciplinarity
To develop interdisciplinary activities with other departments

Enterprise
To establish departmental links with external agencies, such as employers of graduates, professional
bodies, research councils and other funding bodies, for the benefit of the departments teaching and research
including the commercialisation of research.

Communication
To communicate University and college policy to the department and departmental views to the
University and college

To ensure effective and efficient communication within the department

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN

EDUCATION SECTOR FEATURED

In Guest Post

Written by IDA Web Team

By Uday Menon

..uh oh! This is going to lead to a motivation issue said the HR Director of a Bangalore school, close to
50 years in existence and having a solid reputation in the locality/city, as some teachers were trooping out
of the Principals office. They had NOT made it through Module 1 of a certification programme in
advanced level teaching. One senior teacher came across and vented, I am BAD in English teaching?
This is what I have been doing ever since I can recall; in this institution, in my professional life. Its
insulting to know I flunked, along with some others, in our pet subjects (respectively) and turned as if to
walk away! The HR Director attempted to assuage her, already realizing that he wasnt getting anywhere,
at that moment, handicapped as he was coming from a techie background in the IT world!

Indias education sector is burgeoning, thanks to commercialization. This is forcing a paradigm shift in the
way schools are run. Education as a sector today, has assumed overtones of the holy grail educate and
prepare students with the aim of employability on a global scenario, and at a fast pace. The Government
of India has the avowed and articulated objective to ensure India reaches the goal of becoming the 4th
largest world economy, by GDP, in 2030. It is Game on! And the challenge is a huge beckon.

Increasingly, some forward looking institutions are implementing and installing a systems approach to
their administration e.g. portal to apply for admissions, online books/uniforms purchase, multimedia
tools as teaching aids, rapid change in teaching methodologies, and many such. From my interactions
with promoters and administrators of schools, we agree

1. This is a strong branding exercise, primarily good and justifiable, too; which is driven by
expectations and demands of their clientele (parents of students who are highly educated and well-
traveled) The bread and butter of the institution is the students it attracts and educates.
2. There will be added emphasis on HR matters when running their institutions, because of
increasing degree of corporatization coming into how education is being serviced.

There is strong advocacy that HR be viewed as a function in educational institutions playing a critical and
interventionist role in educational institutions. The challenges are -

1. Hiring Strategies for recruitment for getting on board good & adequate teachers, administrators
and support staff (I like to call them, personnel) for existing infrastructure and future expansion plans.
2. Vendor management skills - To manage service providers for canteen, labs and sports training
on campus, specialized coaching centres within campus, etc. which are increasingly being
outsourced to effect economies of scale, optimum utilization of facilities, brand building, etc.
Managements focus is on the core competency of teaching, and building competencies therein.
3. Retention To ensure personnel are not poached for higher remunerations laterally. Awareness
in teaching fraternity about what is happening outside the education world is a reality, management
of institutions should live with.
4. Motivation of personnel on a continual basis. Teaching is now being increasingly looked upon
as a career of choice, as opposed to it just being a love for teaching, from a noble perspective,
alone. Administrators come in with specialized qualifications and skills.
5. Training & Retraining What opportunities are being provided to personnel to get trained and
retrained and/to acquire newer skills and proficiencies in technologies, for example?
6. Career growth options for personnel so that potential is recognized and rewarded. Are we
building a effective succession plan which will be quickly implementable in case of a situation that
may have tectonic implications? For example, if suddenly 15 seasoned and good teachers were to
attrition at one time?
7. Performance driven assessments to ensure rewards and feedback are given to teachers at
periodic intervals. Remarkably, many teachers mindset about performance wallows in having taught
so-and-so who was a bright student, 20 years ago !
8. Counseling services for students for personal and career reasons. Earlier, core values of the
school and/or as imbibed via the practices within, served the purpose of making students fall in
line, so to speak. Teachers played a signal role, too, because of sheer dedication and love for
teaching and students. This is not so in todays world of easier access to handheld gadgets, internet,
the social media, etc. A lot of handholding is needed and HR can do a stellar turn here.

http://www.tiss.edu/TopMenuBar/about-tiss/organisational-structure

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-changing-role-of-hr-
professionals/article3106526.ece

http://campusdynamix.com/hr-payroll

http://www.citehr.com/281906-hr-department-educational-institution.html