Govt. Issues Guidelines for School Management Committees (SMCs)

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India (May 2026) has issued School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines. Accordingly, every school must constitute an SMC within one month of the start of the academic year. States and Union Territories are directed to form SMCs in all schools, including secondary schools up to Class 12, replacing the earlier School Management Development Committees (SMDCs).

The article seeks to highlight the specific requirements introduced through the SMC Guidelines.

Members of the SMC

The size of the committee is tied to enrolment: schools with up to 100 students must have 12 to 15 members; those with 100 to 500 students must have 15 to 20 members; and schools with more than 500 students must have 20to 25 members.

75% of the total membership must consist of parents or guardians of enrolled students. The remaining 25% is drawn equally from three groups:

Elected members of the local authority,
Teachers elected by the teaching staff, and
A mix of local educationists, subject experts, alumni, community workers such as Anganwadi workers (AWW), ASHA workers, and ANMs operating near the school.

Two mandatory representation requirements apply without exception:

At least 50% of all members must be women, and
Proportional representation must be ensured for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) including SC/ST/OBC communities, as well as parents of children with special needs (CwSN).

Structure of the School Management Committee

The SMC must have a parent/guardian as Chairperson, another parent/guardian as Vice-Chairperson, and the Principal or Head Teacher serving as Member-Secretary.

Duties of the Member-Secretary

The Member-Secretary carries a defined set of mandatory responsibilities:

Ensure SMC formation within one month of the academic year beginning.
Organize the annual general meeting for member elections, ensuring 50% parent/guardian attendance at the time of voting.
Display the full details of all SMC members: names, designations, contact numbers, email IDs, and for parent members, the child's name and class, at prominent places in the school within one week of formation.
Hold SMC meetings at least once every month.
Maintain a minimum quorum of 50% at every meeting.
Prepare agendas for each meeting.
Maintain registers recording member details, meeting notices, attendance lists, agendas, and minutes.
Record minutes and decisions accurately and make them available to all members and the public.
Ensure capacity-building training for all members within one month of the SMC being formed.
Display the School Report Card (available on UDISE+) at prominent locations and present it at the first meeting of each term.
Comply with all orders issued by district and block-level officials regarding elections, member structure, and nominations.

Tenure and Removal of Members

Members serve a two-year term. A member may be re-appointed for one additional term but cannot serve more than two consecutive terms, except for the Member-Secretary.

A member's term must be terminated in any of the following situations: if the member's child leaves the school; if the member is convicted of a criminal offence; if the member migrates out of the block or district; if the member dies; or if the member remains absent from four consecutive meetings without notice.

Vacancies arising from any of the above must be filled through the procedure prescribed by the implementing authority or state government.

Election of Parent/Guardian Members

The SMC election process must be democratic, transparent, and inclusive. The following rules apply:

Only one parent or guardian per enrolled student may participate in the election.
Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by other eligible parents.
If the number of candidates exceeds available seats, voting is done by show of hands or voice. A secret ballot may be used in case of dispute.
A minimum quorum of 50% of parents/guardians of enrolled students is required at the time of voting.
A nominated education officer or authorized representative may supervise the election to ensure fairness.
After the election, the Principal must formally record the names of all elected members.

The first meeting of the newly formed SMC must be held either on the next working day or within one week. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected at this first meeting.

Sub-Committees

The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Member-Secretary may constitute two sub-committees from among SMC members:

School Building Committee: Responsible for planning, estimating, managing, supervising, and reporting on all construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance work. It must ensure that school facilities are safe, child-friendly, gender-sensitive, accessible to all, and compliant with financial and technical standards.
Academic Committee: Responsible for planning, managing, monitoring, supervising, and reporting on all academic activities including data collection for UDISE+. It must continuously work to improve education quality and equity, addressing barriers related to socio-economic status, gender, and disability; track student achievement; support guidance and counselling; and promote the overall academic, social, and personal development of students and teachers.

Roles and Responsibilities of the SMC

The functions to be performed by members of SMC are in compliance with the Right Of Children To Free And Compulsory Education Act, 2009, as listed below:

Enrolment, Attendance, and Inclusion

The SMC must ensure all students are enrolled and regularly attending, with special focus on SEDGs and CwSN. No student may face discrimination or obstruction in accessing education. The committee must ensure there is no harassment, mistreatment, or exploitation of any child in the school and that any incident is immediately reported to the relevant authorities. The PRASHAST app and similar tools must be used to identify CwSN and ensure their inclusion in all academic and co-curricular activities.

Bringing Out-of-School Children into the Mainstream

Using school records and community databases, the SMC must help identify out-of-school and dropout children. It must run enrolment drives through door-to-door campaigns, community radio, gram sabhas, and counselling sessions. The SMC must help schools maintain updated databases of out-of-school children and track transition points across all educational stages.

Timely Delivery of Student Entitlements

The SMC must ensure that eligible students receive free textbooks, uniforms, scholarships, and allowances on time.

Support for Parent-Teacher Meetings

The SMC must fully support schools in organising regular Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) and ensure parents are actively involved in tracking their children's academic and co-curricular progress.

Academic Planning and Support

The SMC must ensure the school adheres to standards set under the Samagra Shiksha scheme and NEP 2020. It must monitor teacher regularity, timely syllabus completion, and progress sharing with parents. The SMC must also support the preparation of the school calendar, classroom observation, and identification of learning gaps. If a teacher is repeatedly absent, the SMC must report this to the relevant authorities. It must support community-based learning programmes, project-based learning on local issues, and skill development aligned with local industry needs.

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)

The SMC must promote community and parental participation to achieve FLN goals under the NIPUN Bharat Mission. It must encourage the use of mother tongues in early classes, support the establishment of reading corners in local languages, organise storytelling sessions and parent-led reading clubs, and facilitate the development of multilingual teaching materials.

PM POSHAN and Health Initiatives

SMC members must actively monitor the daily operation of the PM POSHAN scheme, including tasting food before it is served to students on a rotational basis with teachers. Meetings must include discussion on the concept of Tithi Bhojan. The SMC may also coordinate with the health department for periodic health check-ups, hygiene sessions, and nutrition awareness activities.

Infrastructure Oversight

The SMC must support implementation of the Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) programme, promotion of digital learning tools, strengthening of science laboratories, Atal Tinkering Labs, STEM labs, sports facilities, libraries, and activity-based learning spaces. It must ensure regular maintenance and a safe, child-friendly learning environment. Drinking water, toilets, boundary walls, ramps, and other basic facilities must be maintained in coordination with relevant departments.

Financial Management

The SMC must review the school's budget to ensure transparent and proper use of funds. All funds received must be deposited in a joint bank account operated by the Chairperson and Member-Secretary. The committee has financial authority beyond that of the Principal, provided all decisions fall within approved budgetary provisions. Civil works costing up to ₹30 lakh may be executed directly by the SMC. Works exceeding ₹30 lakh must go through a public tender process following CPWD or state PWD norms.

A separate cash book, bank passbook, and purchase records must be maintained. Monthly bank reconciliation is mandatory. Stock registers and fixed asset registers must be maintained and physically verified annually. Annual financial statements must be submitted at the end of each financial year; failure to do so will result in the next grant not being released.

Social Audit and Monitoring

The SMC must conduct at least one social audit per academic year. Members must actively participate in gram sabha meetings and public hearings and ensure follow-up action at the school level on all audit findings.

Community Engagement and Resource Mobilisation

The SMC must mobilise parents, alumni, volunteers, corporate bodies, and local organisations. It must explore CSR funding from local companies and PSUs for school infrastructure, quality enhancement, and pedagogical support. It must also raise community awareness about the Vidyanjali initiative for voluntary contributions to schools.

Child Safety, Protection, and Welfare

The SMC must ensure the school is a safe, inclusive, and child-friendly environment. Information on the School Safety Pledge, POCSO Act, and the Internal Complaints Committee must be clearly displayed in the school. A safety sub-committee including SMC members must conduct a Safety Walk of the school campus every quarter. Safety and evacuation drills must be held at least twice a year. Anti-bullying and child sexual abuse complaint committee decisions must be discussed at SMC meetings. The SMC must also ensure counselling and psychosocial support for students from vulnerable backgrounds.

Hostel Management

Where Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Residential Hostels, or other departmental hostels are attached to or situated within the school campus, the SMC must regularly monitor the condition and activities of these hostels and ensure compliance with prescribed rules and standards.

Environmental and Green Initiatives

The SMC must promote tree plantation under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, establish and maintain nutrition kitchen gardens, implement waste segregation, and encourage energy conservation. It must promote eco-friendly practices under Mission LiFE.

School Development Plan (SDP)

Each school must prepare both a short-term and long-term SDP. The plan must be a three-year strategic document with separate annual sub-plans for each year. It must include class-wise enrolment projections, teacher requirement assessments, infrastructure needs, and year-wise financial requirements. The SDP must be signed by the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Member-Secretary, and submitted to the local authority before the end of the financial year in which it is prepared. All SDPs must be made publicly available. Annual sub-plans must be reviewed by March of each year. A new SDP must be prepared within three months of the expiry of the previous one.

Meetings and Procedures

Meetings must be held at least once a month. A quorum of at least 50% of members is required for any decision to be valid. Minutes must be approved by members and publicly displayed on the school notice board or through digital means. Each school must maintain a suggestion box or feedback register. The SMC must review these inputs quarterly. Where physical meetings are not possible, virtual or hybrid meetings via WhatsApp or Google Meet are permitted. Disputes related to elections or functioning may be resolved by the Block Education Officer or another nominated authority.

Capacity Building and Training

Annual training and orientation must be held for all members within one month of the SMC being formed or reconstituted. These must be conducted at the local level in the local language wherever possible. Key training topics include provisions for equitable and quality education, preparation and implementation of SDPs, academic monitoring, financial management, social audit, inclusive education practices, key priorities under NEP 2020, digital literacy, and child safety. States and UTs may use platforms such as NISHTHA, DIKSHA, and ULLAS for training delivery.

Convergence with Other Government Departments

The SMC may coordinate with the Departments of Health and Family Welfare, Rural Development, Urban Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Women and Child Development, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Social Justice and Empowerment, Youth Affairs and Sports, Law and Justice, Home Ministry, and Panchayati Raj to leverage available schemes and funds for school improvement, student welfare, and community engagement.

Monitoring and Support

Block and District Education Officers must review SMC performance through simple checklists at least twice a year. Supportive supervision and peer learning must be encouraged rather than punitive measures. A checklist with simple performance indicators — number of meetings held, attendance percentage, number of decisions taken, funds utilised — must be attached to the front page of the meeting register for annual tracking.