Human resources can be considered as the most important of all departments in an organization since it holds together every aspect of the organization. If the human resources department fails, the organization is as good as failed too.

Virtually every sector of the Nigerian economy can benefit tremendously from human resources management practices, including the education sector. Continue reading to learn about how human resource management practices can be of help to the improvement of the education sector in Nigeria

How human resources management practices can affect the education sector

Human resources management practices in education focus on three main aspects as highlighted below:

·         Maintain and improve staff services

·         Access the needs of staff

·         Satisfy the needs of staff

Check below for the roles of human resources management practices in education

Roles of HR management

Human resources management in education is concerned with the development of the workers to ensure that they can achieve their goals and deliver assigned tasks effectively. 

Check below for the various roles that human resources management has to play in education.

Strategic role

Human resources management is highly essential in the proper running of education institutions. In times past, it was erroneously accorded little importance. However, its undeniable importance has surfaced in recent times, compelling government agencies. and education authorities across the globe to accord it its place of importance.   Human resources management practices have to do with the recruitment and selection of staff.

Aside from being involved in the recruitment process, human resources management practices are also concerned with the proper supervision of the staff to ensure each of them carries out assigned tasks as dictated. Human resources management practices also selecting top-performing staff for appropriate recognition and rewarding.

If the education institution fails in any of the areas mentioned above, the chance of the organization to progress will be very slim.  This should indicate how very important the human resources department is to the education sector in Nigeria.

Wrong recruitment process can cause things to go bad. Even if the recruitment is done properly, a poor supervision process can cause a dent in the image of the organization. So, we can say the human resources management section helps to keep the institution together and functional.

Human resources can even give the institution a competitive advantage over other educational institutions in the country.  A functional human resources management can cause the teaching and non-teaching staff members to be more committed to their assigned tasks. This will undoubtedly bring more productivity to the education system. The students will be at the benefiting end at the end of the day.

Operational role

Operational activities can be said to be administrative and tactical. Human resources management should never be viewed outside the enclosures of the prevailing law in the country. The operational roles of human resources management included the following:

·         Orienting applicants to the organization upon employment

·         Training of education supervisors

·         Resolution of problems related to safety

·         Administration of wages and salaries.

Overall, the operational roles of human resources management have to do with the day-to-day management of all the employed individuals in the education institution without forgetting the students of the institution.

All the activities carried out by the human resources department of an educational institution can be referred to as personnel functions. All the activities must also be done efficiently by the human resources management staff for the education organization to keep on functioning.

From the above, we can see that the functions of human resources management in an educational institution are wide and its place of importance cannot be overemphasized. We can refer to human resources as the most important of all sections in an educational institution.

In the next section, we will enlighten you about the various functions of human resources management in education

Functions of HR management in education

Human resources management involves the integration and maintenance of the teaching staff in an educational institution towards enabling the school to achieve its purpose and meet the goals of its establishment.

It focuses on motivating and coordinating the activities of the staff in the education institution to ensure maximum output and optimize the educational goals of the institution. The major functions of human resources management are highlighted below:

·         Staff relations

·         Staff maintenance

·         Staff procurement

·         The reward for job performance

The human resources section must make the work environment to be conducive to all staff and students in the institution. It is saddled with the responsibility of providing health and security services to ensure the consistent safety of the staff.

Human resources managers must be communicative so that they can send important messages to the staff in the most agreeable and understandable manners. The human resources managers are expected to see the staff members of the institution as humans that have their emotions, needs, interests, and feelings.

Challenges of human resources management in education

The human resources section of the educational organizations will have to bear any complaint that the institution's staff may have about salaries and benefits. 

The HR department may be at a loss if the executives of the institution fail to meet up to expectations as and when due. Having to listen to complaints from the unsatisfied and disgruntled staff of the institution can wear the HR managers down.

The human resources section will have to be responsible for the recruitment process for new staff and this can be a very challenging process since they will have to assess each applicant before they can find the most suitable person for the job.

Other challenges that the human resources section of an educational institution will have to delay with are:

·         Incessant teachers transfer

·         The poor commitment of personnel to assigned tasks

·         Poor staff appraisal

·         Poor recruitment process

·         Finding problems

·         High rate of indiscipline by staff and students.

Conclusion

Institutions should accede to the recommendations of the human resources section towards creating a conducive work environment for staff, which will lead to a better learning environment for the students.

Government agencies in charge of education should understand that the education sector is the basis for the development and progress of all other sectors in Nigeria. This should prompt government to finance education appropriately towards making learning more interesting.