Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. | Photo credit: PTI
In an effort to decentralize school management and align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Department of Education has issued comprehensive new guidelines mandating the formation of School Management Committees (SMCs) and giving them financial and operational powers to oversee and manage schools.
The guidelines, which supersede all previous guidelines under schemes like Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education Act, were launched by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday (6 May 2026).
They require every school across the country – including secondary institutions up to Class 12 – to form an SMC within one month of the start of the academic year. “The SMC will replace the existing School Management Development Committees (SMDCs) and create a unified, effective approach to school management,” the guidelines said.
Community-led structure
The new framework emphasizes that education is a “shared responsibility”. To ensure citizen involvement, 75% of SMC members must be parents or guardians and 50% must be women. The remaining 25% will include elected local officials, teachers, graduates and local experts such as Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and academics.
“In addition, there must be proportionate representation of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), including SCs, STs, OBCs and Children with Special Needs (CwSNs),” the guidelines said.
Empowered supervision
The SMC is not only an advisory body but has significant financial and operational authority. “Committees are empowered to undertake all school construction works costing up to ₹ 30 lakh. For projects exceeding this amount, the SMC will engage in a tender process (as per CPWD/PWD manuals) to ensure quality and transparency,” the guidelines said.
The SMC will also be responsible for controlling the school’s budget, preventing financial irregularities and keeping accurate records of income and expenditure.
Two sub-committees will be established within the SMC: the School Building Committee for maintenance and construction and the Academic Committee focused on improving the quality of education.
Learning outcomes management
The SMC must lead efforts to bring out-of-school children back into the mainstream and ensure the distribution of uniforms, textbooks and scholarships.
They will also actively monitor the PM-POSHAN regime, which includes daily tastings of members’ meals on a rotating basis to ensure food quality.
The SMCs were also tasked with creating a three-year school development plan consisting of annual sub-plans. “This plan will detail class enrollment projections, infrastructure requirements and the need for additional teaching staff,” the guidelines state.
This new national framework provides states and UTs with a flexible link to harmonize their local rules, officials added.
Published – 06 May 2026 21:56 IST
