Human resources management: a contemporary model for principles of Free State schools

English: The purpose of this study was to investigate the human resources management task of the school principal in the Free State Province. In order to achieve this goal, research was done regarding the human resources management task of school principals, which forms part of their complex overall management task. The research entails a literature study to investigate human resources management in practice and also to focus on the functioning thereof in schools as a management task of the school principal. The human resources management task of the school principal and the various management areas which it covers were grouped under human resources provision and human resources maintenance. In Chapter 2 human resources provision was discussed according to the following areas of management: human resources planning, recruitment, selection, placement, induction and career management. In Chapter 3 the maintenance of human resources was discussed according to the following areas of management: training and development, performance appraisal, compensation, motivation, quality of work life, leadership, groups, labour relations, health and safety, and administration. Furthermore, an empirical investigation was undertaken to determine the way in which school principals approach and execute their human resources management task. In Chapter 4 frequency tables were utilised to obtain more information regarding the day-to-day management of human resources in schools by school principals. The continuation of the empirical research in Chapter 5 aimed at determining the training needs of school principals, as well as ascertaining the level of importance of specific human resources management tasks in the opinion of school principals. Various subgroups were identified beforehand and comparisons were made further to clarify the research. The empirical research undeniably proved that school principals have a definite training need with regard to human resources management and that they view these management tasks as highly significant as seen against the background of their total management task at school. In Chapter 6 a model was drawn up with regard to human resources management based on the literature study and the empirical research. The goal of this model is to serve as a guideline for school principals in the execution of their management task with regard to human resources management. In the final chapter certain findings were formulated regarding the human resources management task of school principals. Furthermore certain recommendations were made to illustrate to the Free State Department of Education that definite training needs exist which will empower school principals for their management tasks; and the attention of school principals was drawn to the importance of their management task with regard to the management of human resources in schools in order to realise the education and teaching goals of schools