Important needs for staff development are given below:
Educational institutions – schools, colleges, polytechniques, universities are labour intensive organizations. They depend on people for the delivery of their services. In such people-centred organizations, the quality of staff is central to institutional effectiveness.
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A high quality and well motivated teaching staff and a supportive professional culture are essential in building excellence (World Bank, 1994).
Educational institutions are crucial to national aspirations for economic development. In order that educational institutions are effective, the skills of their staff need to be continually strengthened and enhanced; more investments should be done for continual training and re-training of employees as well as stress the need for commitment to an institution’s goals and promoting a capacity to change.
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In some academic disciplines, knowledge is doubling every five to ten years. It is thus almost impossible for an individual teacher to remain in touch with the subject without a conscious investment in scholarship and self-learning.
Along with the explosion in knowledge, there are advances in pedagogy, learning materials and use of technology. The importance of staff development is, therefore, paramount. Similarly, there are many rapid changes in management processes, techniques and technology for managerial and support staff.
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In addition, the system of education in India is faced with the following challenges:
i. The increased number of students.
ii. Diversity of students in the same class in terms of first generation learners V/s second and third generation learners; average learners V/s slow-learners V/s gifted learners etc.
iii. Critical and often articulate student-body and parents.
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iv. The changing societal values and expectations.
v. The changing requirements of professions, of employers and of governments.
vi. Institutional characteristics, their size, their emphasis on co-curricular activities etc.
vii. The changing pattern of government expenditure on education.