Challenges of Rural Schools: HR Strategies

Subject: Strategy
Pages: 2
Words: 553
Reading time:
2 min

Information on administrative activities in rural schools reveals the current problems of education reforms. An interview with the Human Resource Manager (HRM) revealed that organizational work in this area is complicated by career unattractiveness. The specialist provided data both verbally and nonverbally through gestures, facial expressions, and engagement in conversation. Schooling in rural areas is regressing due to a lack of effective mentoring and discipline methods and outdated HR strategies.

The topic of the interview is related to the respondent’s daily activities and challenges that remain unresolved. In particular, the HRM reported the transformation of the HR specialist’s responsibilities, which is inversely correlated with the desired tasks. For example, the respondent would like to work with the staff she hired rather than another processed employee that was starting. Besides, this position requires the specialist to interact with all employees throughout their career life cycles. Consequently, the HRM reported complications in concentrating and meeting the diversified requirements set by management promptly.

School education in rural areas is in crisis as efficient staffing practices and long-term team development are not available. The HRM mentioned that a mentoring system in such an environment helps young professionals to become professionals in their field. However, this school does not provide such mentoring and disciplinary procedures, which complicates the HR department’s work and reduces the likelihood of success of innovative solutions.

This statement correlates with the main challenge of rural schools, namely, the inappropriateness of radical quality improvement measures due to the limited budget and hiring potential (McShane & Smarick, 2018). Online advertisements and recruitment fairs at college are the only ways to invite professionals. It is inefficient as there is no competitive hiring process. Consequently, the quality of education, the necessary rotation, and the expansion of the teaching positions are critically limited in rural areas.

The interview gave the impression that non-verbal communication was more sincere than answering questions with words. The HRM seemed distant and tired during the conversation, which indicated that they were not satisfied with their daily routine. Most likely, it was due to workload and constant management control. The Superintendent interrupted the interview twice for no apparent reason, and the respondent became anxious each time.

In turn, it influenced the circumstances of the conversation, as the HRM did not want to talk much, either because of the need to return to work at the supervisor’s request or because the Superintendent was trying to find out about the specifics of the questions. Consequently, the interview was tense and a casual dialogue was impossible.

School education is in crisis due to inadequate leadership and limited budgets. This interview showed that HR departments are forced to come to terms with the layoff of staff due to relocation to large cities, while team rotation is impossible due to limited personnel. The respondent is under management’s control, which causes stress and anxiety in the daily routine. While the HRM enjoys connecting with people, the main challenges are team misconduct and communication problems.

Progressive policies and mentoring systems have been identified as crucial aspects of the education system’s regression, as their absence prevents the recruitment and successful management of qualified staff. Thus, the interview made it clear that HR employees are forced to cope with professional responsibilities in the face of ineffective administration, budget crisis, and a limited labor market.

Reference

McShane, M., & Smarick, A. (2018). To improve rural schools, focus on their strengths. Web.