Ranchi, July 21 : The Jharkhand School Education and Literacy Department has amended the guidelines for School Management Committees (SMCs), introducing a new framework that determines committee size based on student enrolment instead of school category. The move aims to strengthen community participation and improve school governance across the state.
Under the revised guidelines, schools with up to 100 students will have 12 to 15 SMC members, schools with 100 to 500 students will have 15 to 20 members, while institutions with more than 500 students will constitute 20 to 25-member committees. Earlier, committee strength was fixed according to the type of school, with primary and middle schools having 16 members and high schools 19.
School Education and Literacy Department Secretary Uma Shankar Singh said the revised policy places parents at the centre of school administration while ensuring greater participation of women. He added that the guidelines also emphasise social and gender equality and provide special attention to children with special needs.
The new rules mandate that parents must comprise at least 75 percent of the committee, while women must account for at least 50 percent of the total membership. Accordingly, a 15-member committee will include 11 parents, a 20-member panel will have 15 parents, and a 25-member committee will consist of 19 parents.
The tenure of SMC members has been reduced from three years to two years to encourage broader community participation. To promote transparency, more than one member from the same family cannot serve on an SMC at the same time, and family members will not be allowed to hold consecutive terms as chairperson.
The amended guidelines also require every School Management Committee to establish a five-member civil works sub-committee to oversee infrastructure-related matters and a seven-member education sub-committee to monitor learning outcomes and improve the quality of education. Officials said the changes are intended to create a more accountable, inclusive and child-centric school management system across Jharkhand.
