An enquiry into the management of induction and mentoring in an urban secondary school in Phoenix, north Durban region, Kwazulu Natal Department of Education and Culture.
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Date
2002
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Abstract
The broad theme of this investigation is Human Resource Management (HRM) in
education. It has been widely publicised both in the media and other areas that the
salary bill for state paid educators represents the major area of expenditure. More than
ninety percent of the education budget in the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education
and Culture is spent on the salary bill. It therefore becomes necessary to ensure that
newly appointed educators and those appointed into promotion posts who are earning
these salaries do justice in their jobs and produce the goods. School management teams
have to ensure that these newcomers settle into their new jobs as quickly and
effectively as possible. A newcomer into the teaching profession will have to cope with
increasingly complex situations such as heterogeneous pupil population, teacher
rationalisation, new curricula, teacher redeployment and increased pupil/teacher ratios.
It is therefore important that educators, who are the most expensive asset in the school,
are managed effectively.
The first few days on the plant is considered to be important in any profession, as this
will determine whether the employee will continue to provide his/her service or resign.
With education as well, the induction of educators has to be managed by the school as
quickly as possible to enable and to empower the inductee in becoming an effective
educator. While some aspects of induction and mentoring are instituted in an informal
way at the school under investigation, many other areas are sorely neglected. The p
management of people in South African schools is circumscribed through legislation J*
and regulation. The professional development of educators therefore rests with
management and must be in line with legislation prescribed in government gazettes.
However not much attention is being given to induction and mentoring programmes
which focus on utilising and empowering the human capital (staff members) at the
school. The challenge for school level management is to come to terms with what it
means to manage the performance and productivity of people in ways, which meets the
aspirations of the people and the needs of the organisation.
This project has attempted to investigate the management of induction and mentoring
at a school in Phoenix, north of Durban. It has been found that no formal programmes p
on induction and mentoring exist at the school. It is therefore recommended that
management together with, and in consultation with staff members, draw up and
implement a policy on induction and mentoring. This will ensure that with guidance
and training (induction and mentoring), new human resources will be best utilised to
suit the needs of the school.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.
Keywords
Theses--Education., Mentoring in education--Durban Metropolitan Area--Phoenix., School management and organization--Durban Metropolitan Area--Phoenix., High schools--Durban Metropolitan Area--Phoenix.