Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
| Photo Credit: PTI
In a transfer to decentralise school governance and align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Ministry of Education has issued complete new pointers mandating the formation of School Management Committees (SMCs), and granting them monetary and operational powers to oversee and govern colleges.
The pointers, which supersede all earlier directions underneath schemes like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and the Right To Education Act, have been launched by Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday (May 6, 2026).
They require each school throughout the nation — together with secondary establishments up to Class 12 — to represent an SMC inside one month of the beginning of the educational 12 months. “The SMC will replace the existing School Management Development Committees (SMDC) to create a unified, streamlined approach to school leadership,” the rules mentioned.
Community-led construction
The new framework emphasises that training is a “shared responsibility.” To guarantee grassroots involvement, 75% of the SMC’s members have to be dad and mom or guardians and 50% have to be girls. The remaining 25% will embrace elected local officers, academics, alumni, and local consultants akin to Anganwadi employees, ASHA employees, and academicians.
“Furthermore, proportionate representation must be given to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), including SC, ST, OBC, and Children with Special Needs (CwSN),” the rules state.
Empowered oversight
The SMC is not only an advisory physique however holds important monetary and operational energy. “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 rules mentioned.
The SMC will even be chargeable for reviewing the school funds, stopping monetary irregularities, and sustaining correct information of receipts and expenditures.
Two sub-committees will probably be established underneath the SMC: the School Building Committee for upkeep and building, and the Academic Committee targeted on bettering instructional high quality.
Driving studying outcomes
SMCs should lead drives to deliver out-of-school kids again into the mainstream and make sure the distribution of uniforms, textbooks, and scholarships.
They will even actively monitor the PM-POSHAN scheme, which incorporates every day tasting of meals by members on a rotational foundation to assure meals high quality.
SMCs have additionally been tasked with making a three-year School Development Plan consisting of annual sub-plans. “This roadmap will detail class-wise enrollment projections, infrastructure requirements, and the need for additional teaching staff,” the rules mentioned.
This new nationwide framework offers a versatile reference for States and UTs to harmonise their local guidelines, officers additional added.
Published – May 06, 2026 09:56 pm IST
