FACULTY OF EDUCATION
EDU4201: EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING
LECTURE FIVE
SCHOOL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Personnel refer to the people that are gainfully employed in an organization in order to perform
clearly spelt out task on certain conditions. Personnel Management is a set of activities focusing
on engaging, maintaining and coordinating human resources in the organization. The essence of
personnel in school organizations is to engage them in activities that will contribute towards the
attainment of the purpose for which the organization was set up. Globally, no school goals can be
achieved in the absence of effective personnel management. The concept of Personnel
management can hereby be defined as the process of recruiting and managing the affairs of all
human resources in an organization. Generally, Schools’ Personnel management is the process of
correct selection, systematic development, welfares and effective utilization of school staff.
The primary aim of the school personnel management is to contribute an essential services to the
general efficiency of the school organization by employing, training, retraining and seek the job
satisfaction of effective work-force. The school personnel are not limited to the teaching staff but
transcend the entire workers of the school. This is predicated on the fact that school is a system
with many sub-systems working interdependently towards the realization of the school goals and
that of the sustainable development. However, the responsibility of managing personnel in
science education is not only restricted to specialists in the ministry or school board but rather
permeates all other people who are accountable for sub-ordinates operating the schools and other
educational agencies. Hereby the school personnel managers entail all the administrative
personnel that collaborate in managing the school. Thus, the personnel manager is expected to
help formulate manpower policies and take a detail study of financial incentives programmes.
School Personnel Management Functions
Personnel management unit can be defined as the unit of organization which deals with planning,
organizing, recruiting, developing, directing, controlling, compensating and maintaining the
employees. It also involves personnel welfare, human relation, training and development of staff.
The functions of the personnel management unit can be classified into Managerial and
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Operational functions. The managerial functions include; planning, organizing, Directing,
Coordinating and controlling. While the Operational functions are; recruitment, training and
Development, compensation, maintenance, labour relation and personnel welfare. Generally, the
following are the functions of personnel management in any school organization;
1. Personnel Research and Statistics (PRS)
The Personnel Research and Statistics (PRS) is one of the personnel management functions
which guide the recruitment of personnel/workers in an organization. PRS helps the organization
to identify the area of need before recruitment and selection of workers. Research is a systematic
and goal-oriented activity which aimed at solving problem or improving the existing knowledge.
On this relation, schools should not recruit or select Personnel without data sourced from PRS
which shows area of organization’s weakness in term of personnel and their qualifications needs.
Similarly, training and retraining of personnel is also based on the need of target schools. Recall
that, Chester Barnard in his theory of cooperative system asserts that both organizational goal
and personnel needs and interest must be kept at equilibrium if organization must receive
cooperation of workers and organizational productivity.
2. Manpower Planning (MP)
Henri Fayol (1841-1925); the founder of Administrative management theory posits planning as
the first function that every manager must embrace. Similarly, Luther Gulick; another classical
theorist who augmented Fayol’s five basic management functions by coined the acronym
“POSDCORB” to specify seven functions of management meaning; Planning, Organizing,
Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting. He stated further that planning
involves developing an outline of the things that must be accomplished and the methods for
accomplishing them. Planning attempts forecast future actions and directions of the organization.
However, Manpower planning otherwise Personnel planning involves;
(a) School Job Design: Job design is the process of verifying the number of position existed in
the school organization, content of the job, method of doing the job and personnel requirements
in term of qualification experiences and the character of the prospective employees.
(b) School Job Analysis and Specification: This entails analysis of the qualification
characteristics due to remuneration and other related issues that have to do with prospective
employees. In Schools, Manpower Planning is carried out by specialists in the personnel Unit of
the Ministry of Education or School Board depending on the school or institutions. Yet, school
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administrators have the power to recommend outstanding personnel to the Ministry for
employment. However, while waiting for the Ministry of Education to post teachers to the
school, the school must not be left without teachers to teach its subjects. Also, the Parents
Teacher Association (PTA) may be encouraged to employ part-time teachers for the school.
3. Personnel Recruitment and Selection
This is technically the process of advertizing existing vacancies in an organization and informing
the prospective applicant, the procedures for application and other information. It involves short
but precise information on date, time, venue of interview and how the application should reach
the personnel manager.
(a) Recruitment: Recruitment in educational system involves a series of activities by the
personnel management Unit before advertising the existing vacant positions. These include;
(i) Determination of numbers and qualifications of personnel needed.
(ii) Examining the financial strength of the organization in term of personnel compensations.
(iii) Determine the source from which the prospective applicants should be drawn.
(b) Advertisement: is a process of disseminating information, communicating to prospective
applicant the existence of vacant position in Science Education and other requirement and
procedure through media that will hopefully reach the target people such media may include
radio, television, Newspaper, Magazines, Technical Journals and so on external while circulars
and official organizational bulleting may be used internally. Also, such Adverts can also be
pasted on the notice board of Tertiary institutions that produces the type of graduate required.
(c) Selection: Selection is a process of choosing among applicant suitable candidates that are
going to be employed. Such candidates are then subjected to screening to ascertain their
eligibility and suitability to fill the vacant positions. This involves designing the selection
procedure, behavioral characteristic to be appraised, compiling and assessing the data of
applicant properly, preparing eligibility list, nomination and appointment.
(d) Testing: Test is designed to assess the presence or absence of scientific characteristics
required in personnel who are to fill the vacant positions in science Education. These include;
ability test, intelligence test, aptitude test, skill test and interest test.
(e) Interview: Interview of Science Education applicants is a process of collecting information
orally about an individual or a group in physical and face to face meeting between an
interviewers and interviewees. It is applied in the process of employment to obtain information
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about the applicant(s) which will guide the personnel manager to decide the suitability or
otherwise of the applicant. Interview for employment are two types. These are group interview
and Technical interview. In Group interview people are interviewed together at the same time
through discussion which is technically referred to as leader-less group discussion or group oral
information. Conversely, Technical interview can also be called pattern or structural interview in
which closed questions are asked or non directive where open ended questions are asked.
4. Personnel Training and Development
Training and development in Science Education assume very vital position in the personnel
management duties because knowledge and skill needed for personnel to function in an
organization are naturally dynamic. Training and development are mostly perceived to mean the
same thing. Obviously, there are slit differences between the two concepts. Training usually
implies preparation for an occupation or special skills. Thus, it is narrower in scope than either
education or development. Training is an organizational effort aiming at helping an employee to
acquire basic skills required for the efficient execution of the function for which he was hired.
Conversely, development implies systematic training and retraining which enables personnel to
function effectively towards goals realization. However, the relevance of Personnel development
and training is to improve the personnel’s competency, efficiency and effectiveness.
5. Personnel Compensations.
This function concerns with the remuneration of personnel in Schools in forms of salaries, wages
or fringe benefits that employers pay to personnel for services rendered. It serves as a force that
attracts retaining and motivates employees in the service of organization to the extent that any
organization that lack effective and attractive compensation policy will inevitably suffer draw
backs and sometimes dismember. Salary is a form of remuneration paid periodically by an
employer to the employees in which its amount and frequency may be specified in an
employment contract. Similarly, Wages is a form of remunerations paid by employer to
employee calculated of some factor unit basis such as hourly, daily or weekly payment jobs.
Fringe benefits are remunerations such as free life insurance, free health insurance and paid
holidays, pension benefit etc. This is in addition to regular payment. In some organization you
may be entitled to hazard allowances. The personnel department is charged with responsibilities
of planning organization policies that will ensure equality and fairness in remunerating the
personnel based on their task which are all geared towards accomplishment of the organization
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goals and objectives. The organization structure can be utilized to attach remuneration to any
position of the organization. That is, the organization structure is normally transformed into
compensation structure because distinctions are made among personnel.
6. Labour Relation:
This can also be referred to as the human relation. It simply means being with people and
interacting with them. It involves recognizing workers as human being and treating them as such.
This implies bearing in mind constantly that the employee is more important than the work itself
even though the work has to be done. This implies that administrator is recognizing that
personnel are important part of the Organization and everything possible must be done to make
them comfortable. Human have individual needs expectation, feeling, emotions and interests, the
employers must learn how best to relate to the individuals and make the best use of them.
Technically, human relations implies such ideas as respect, courtesy, kindness, consideration,
confidence, trust, sincerity, Open-mindedness, justice and fairness in dealing with people. A
good administrator should be essentially friendly and accessible to all employees at equal levels.
An employer who considers the comfort and the social welfare of his staff can be said to be
employee-centered. This means believing that increased productivity on the parts of the staff
occurs when the personnel basic human needs are given due consideration by the employer. In
this regards, incentives, support, acceptance, approval, recognition, self-actualization, talents
creativity and personality development, to the full potential must be given top priority.
Labour relation also involves knowing how to communicate with employee at the right time and
in the right way. In some instances, these relationships are predominantly formalized as a result
of collective bargaining between employers and trade Unions as to the role, status and working
conditions of employees. This aspect of employee or labour relations is often called “Industrial
Relations”. The importance of human relation to school management is intended to be the focus
of legislation. These procedures such as balloting for possible strike action or the election of
union representatives or for the announcement of redundancies are contained with legal
parameters. The mechanisms of Labour relations include; Collective bargaining; Recognition of
agreement; Legislative framework; Labour Participation; Dispute Resolution.
The general principles of human relation in Schools includes that; Subordinate are liked and
respected; Recognition is given to all; Those in position of Authority are friendly and
approachable; Good communication must exists in the organization; Equality and Atmosphere of
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justice and fairness. These principles of labour relations could be enforced on the employers by
means of collective bargaining which basically formed by trade union. Trade Union is an
organization of workers aimed to protect and promote their interests in the workplace. Example
of professional trade union is National Union of Teachers (NUT), Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), etc.
7. Personnel Welfare:
Personnel Welfare is a term including various benefits and facilities offered to Personnel by the
employers. This needs not be monetary only but in any form. It includes benefits such as
allowances, housing, transportation, medical insurance and foods. Welfare also includes
monitoring of working conditions, creation of industrial harmony through infrastructure for
health, industrial relations and insurance against disease, accident and unemployment for the
workers and their families. Welfare means anything done for the comfort and improvement of
intellect or social of the employees over and above the wages and salaries paid which is not
obligation of the organization. The features of welfare in Schools include the following;
i. Welfare is a term including various services, facilities and social amenities.
ii. The basic purpose is to improve the lot of the working class
iii. Welfare is a dynamic concept.
iv. Welfare also known as fringe benefits and services
v. Welfare may be both voluntary and statutory
How to develop effective Personnel welfare programme One needs to conduct Science Education
personnel survey to know their needs and expectations; identify key areas of building skills,
engagement and facilities training for personnel; Propose solution for personal upkeep, family
uplifting and future security; Create opportunities for greater synergies between the management
of Science Education and employees and Conduct impact assessments and feedback survey.
Types of Personnel welfare Packages in Nigerian Schools
There are two types of personnel welfare Packages which could be designed to manage
personnel in Schools. These are statutory and voluntary welfare packages.
1. Statutory Welfare Packages
These are welfare packages enforced or backed by law and so failure to comply may attract
sanctions from either the government or Labour Relation Organizations or associations such as
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human right, labour Union such as Nigerian Labour Congress, COEASU, NUC, ASUU etc.
Example of Statutory Welfare is factories Act of 1948 in USA which provides as follows;
i. Provision of adequate, suitable and clean washing facilities for workers
ii. Provision of Facilities for storing and drying clothes
iii. Canteen if more than 250workers are employed
iv. Welfare officer wherever more than 500workers are employed
v. First Aid boxes must be provided Implications of Personnel welfare in Schools.
2. Voluntary Welfare Packages
Voluntary welfare packages are the type of welfare which were not backed by law and so cannot
be enforced on the employer through a legal procedure or industrial action. Rather, the employee
may lobby or put up prayers to solicit for the package. The varieties of voluntary welfare are;
a. Intramural Welfare: These are forms of welfare provided within the school organization.
Examples are; Canteen, Rest room, Ditches, Uniform, Clinic, etc.
b. Extramural Welfare: These are provided outside the school organization. e.g Housing,
Education, Child welfare, workers cooperative store, vocational guidance and training, etc.
Implications of Personnel Welfare in School Productivity
It has been noticed that personnel welfare benefits both employers and employees. The
implications of personnel welfare in Schools include;
i. Compliance: Science Education School workers tend to comply with school rules and
regulations, job allocations and loyalty to the employers and the school heads if they are
properly managed. This improves workers relation and organizational peace. Also, good
will, eradication of brain drain syndrome and public image of School could be improved
by the testimony of the Schools personnel.
ii. Hiring and Retention: Workers are likely to seek employment in a place with better
welfare than a place with lesser welfare. Also, workers are likely to leave a place of
lesser welfare for a place of better welfare. Above all, workers in a place of better
welfare are more likely to retain their job than those with poor welfare. It should be
noted that the longer the employee in the service of the organization the better their
performances. Thus eradicate the problem of dismembering the personnel who may be in
search of greener pasture if the condition of service is bad.
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iii. Personnel Motivation: The personnel become motivated and encouraged to contribute
their physical and mental abilities and skills to the organizational services.
iv. Personnel Well-being: Workers with Adequate welfare are likely to be emotionally
stable, mentally alert and physically healthy to work effectively in the organization.
Thus; labour turnover and absenteeism are reduced to the beeriest minimum.
v. Job Satisfaction: When School workers are satisfied with their job, they tend to be
functional, and regular in their place of work and loyal to their employers. The workers
contribute their qualities and initiatives which is a rating scale by which the productivity
and quality of an organization could be measured.
8. Placement and Quality Control:
Placement is a function of allowing every worker in the school to work in their area of
specialization. Expertise could be achieved in two different forms. This includes academic
specializations and continuous practices. A teacher is likely to become expert in a particular
subject area after teaching it for three consecutive years and above (i.e expert by practice).
However, quality assurance is a process of controlling the workers and makes them do the right
thing. This involves inspection and supervision of workers. Inspection is external assessment of
the school while supervision is internally championed by the school administrators.
Challenges of Personnel Management in Schools
The following are the challenges of personnel management in Education System.
1. Inadequate training and retraining of Science Education leaders in dynamism of personnel
needs, behaviors, attitudes to work and Personnel management functions.
2. Inadequate funding for Personnel management functions.
3. Inadequate involvement of private sectors in personnel management activities.
4. Sentiments in the personnel recruitment, selection, discipline and compensations.
5. Lack of political will in making personnel welfare statutory rather than voluntary.
