Kamal Ghorui
Ministry of Education will launch the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines 2026 on May 6.In a post on X, the ministry said, “School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines 2026 will be launched on 6th May 2026, marking a significant step towards strengthening grassroot school governance.“The ministry said the revised guidelines were in line with National Education Policy 2020 and aimed at strengthening school governance at the grassroots level.“These efforts align with the vision of NEP 2020, which emphasises participatory, inclusive and community-driven approaches to education,” it said.The ministry also stressed the role of parents and local communities in the functioning of schools, urging greater participation in School Management Committees (SMCs)
What are SMCs?
School Management Committees (SMCs) are local-level bodies formed in government and aided schools, bringing together parents, teachers and community members to take part in the functioning of schools.Mandated under the Right to Education Act 2009, these committees are meant to act as a bridge between the school and the community. They play a role in preparing school development plans, monitoring the use of funds, and keeping track of infrastructure and learning conditions.SMCs must include elected local authority representatives, parents/guardians of enrolled children, and teachers, with at least 75% parents or guardians to prioritise community involvement. The idea is to ensure that schools are not run in isolation, but remain accountable to the communities they serve, a principle that is also reinforced under the National Education Policy 2020.
What is NEP 2020
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is India’s current education policy framework, introduced to overhaul the country’s school and higher education systems. It replaced the earlier 1986 policy and aims at making education more flexible, inclusive, and skill-oriented.The National Education Policy 2020 does not introduce School Management Committees (SMCs) from scratch—that comes from the Right to Education Act, but it strengthens and expands their role in how schools are run.Under NEP 2020, SMCs are seen as a key part of decentralised and community-driven school governance. The policy stresses that schools should not function in isolation, and that parents and local communities must have a stronger voice in decision-making.
