RATIONALISING HUMAN RESOURCES IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE COVID-19 ERA: CHALLENGES, TREND AND STRATEGY

The study focused on rationalising human resources in Nigerian public and private schools in the eraof Covid-19. The objective of the study is to examine whether the Elliott Wave theory canspecifically determine the current and future wave pattern or trend of the covid-19 infection casetimeline in Nigeria and how the education sector should strategise toward adjusting its humanresources to fit into the new norm with exactitude. Trend analysis method was utilised inextrapolating data from Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)/Statista and juxtaposing dataderived from Focus Group Study conducted at selected public and private secondary schools in Delta,Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, to identify their immediate human resources response strategy. Itwas argued that the complexities and confusion of Human Resources Management (HRM) strategyresponse to the covid19 pandemic arose from the inability for HRM managers to predict the timelineof the covid19 virus behaviour spread pattern (accounting for the virus containment, control andexhaustion) and are most actively utilising intuitive reacting response and adaptations strategies;instead of applying the Elliot wave theory to predict future wave pattern and deploy an appropriatehuman resources strategy that fit into the expected trend with approximate exactitude. It wasrecommended that HRM strategy should descale major events, activities and spending reductionprogrammes pending the final exhaustion of the covid19 in 2023. Keywords: Covid-19, Elliott Wave, Human Resources Strategy, Trend Timeline