Assessment of Needs and Capacity of District Office Professional Staff

BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF
QUESTIONNAIRE
In light of its strategic plans and the Education Transformation Agenda of the
Department of Education, District Offices are being fully capacitated so that
each is well equipped to serve and support schools. As part of this Agenda,
the staffing establishments of the respective District Offices are being filled, and
plans are being made so that staff in the respective positions could acquire the
core skills they need to undertake their assigned responsibilities.
An appropriate programme of training, however, depends upon the extent to
which the job functions of professional staff are clearly understood, and to
understand the extent to which there is an overall understanding of the current
profile and capacity of staff to undertake their responsibilities. In this context, it
is important to understand the characteristics of the groups in question, and
the context in which they work. This understanding will form the basis for
designing a programme of professional development that will meet the needs of
the staff members targeted.
The purpose of this questionnaire, therefore, is to collect information from the
necessary target groups so that the Department can have a clearer and more
comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and professional
development needs of the professional staff in the District Offices. It is on the
basis of the information provided through this questionnaire that a
comprehensive programme of professional development will be prepared to
develop and support the respective professional staff. Each item of information
requested from respondents will serve a critical role in designing a programme
that will be responsive to their developmental needs.
The questionnaire seeks to collect information in 10 areas of focus as follows:
1. Biographical Information:
This information pertains to biographical and contact details such as gender, race and
the personal and professional addresses of staff. It also has details regarding current
job assignment.
2. Current Job Requirements:
The question in job requirements seeks to collect information on the importance of
various job functions and the level of frequency at which these job functions are
applied. In light of the lack of clarity of job requirements at this point, this section of
the questionnaire provides an opportunity to structure and map job responsibilities.
The section focuses on both core and generic job content. The core job content
relates to the tasks that are assigned to a specific position, while generic content
applies to all the school management and support functions of the District Office.
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