India rolls out local School Management Committees with 75% parent seats
India rolls out local School Management Committees with 75% parent seats
New guidelines empower SMCs nationwide, giving parents majority representation, women's 50% participation, and authority to fund and oversee school works up to ₹30 lakh.
In a move to decentralise school governance and align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Ministry of Education has issued comprehensive new guidelines mandating the formation of School Management Committees (SMCs), and granting them financial and operational powers to oversee and govern schools. The guidelines, which supersede all previous instructions under schemes like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and the Right To Education Act, were launched by Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday (May 6, 2026). The move aims to bring a community-led approach to school leadership and strengthen governance at the grassroots level. The National Education Policy will bring country's new generation out of Macaulay mentality: Pradhan. They require every school across the country — including secondary institutions up to Class 12 — to constitute an SMC within one month of the start of the academic year. “The SMC will replace the existing School Management Development Committees (SMDC) to create a unified, streamlined approach to school leadership,” the guidelines said. The new framework emphasises that education is a “shared responsibility.” To ensure grassroots involvement, 75% of the SMC’s members must be parents or guardians and 50% must be women. The remaining 25% will include elected local officials, teachers, alumni, and local experts such as Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and academicians. NEP’s 5+3+3+4 education overhaul: Promise, gaps, and the road to transformation “Furthermore, proportionate representation must be given to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), including SC, ST, OBC, and Children with Special Needs (CwSN),” the guidelines state. Empowered oversight The SMC is not just an advisory body but holds significant financial and operational power. “Committees are authorised to execute all school civil works costing up to ₹30 lakh. For projects exceeding this amount, SMCs will participate in the public tendering process (per CPWD/PWD manuals) to ensure quality and transparency,” the guidelines said. The SMC will also be responsible for reviewing budgets and monitoring PM-POSHAN programs, reinforcing the government's commitment to transparent, accountable school management.
