Guwahati, Aug 4 (IANS) Assam’s School Education Department has issued a fresh notification directing all government and provincialised schools across the state to constitute School Management Committees (SMCs) within one month from the commencement of every academic year, replacing the existing School Management Development Committees (SMDCs), in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, officials said on Tuesday.
The notification, issued by the Department of School Education lays down the norms for the constitution, roles and responsibilities of SMCs for Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary schools across Assam.
A senior official stated that the order supersedes all earlier government notifications, instructions and guidelines related to school management committees and has been issued under Section 21 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, while incorporating provisions of NEP 2020 and the Samagra Shiksha 2.0 framework.
With the new notification, the state government has decided that all schools, including secondary and higher secondary institutions up to Class 12, will function with School Management Committees.
Consequently, School Management Development Committees (SMDCs), which earlier functioned in secondary schools, will no longer be constituted, officials mentioned.
The department said the move is aimed at strengthening community participation in school education through a unified governance structure.
According to the notification, SMCs will serve as the primary institutional mechanism for decentralised school governance by involving local communities in planning, monitoring and improving educational outcomes.
The committee will comprise government officials, parents or guardians of students, representatives of local authorities, academicians, subject experts, alumni and representatives of disadvantaged groups.
The size of the committee will depend on student enrolment. Schools with up to 100 students will have 12 to 15 members, those with enrolment between 100 and 500 students will have 15 to 20 members, while institutions with more than 500 students will constitute committees comprising 20 to 25 members.
The notification states that the revised guidelines are intended to provide a uniform framework for strengthening school-level governance and harmonising local rules with the national vision of inclusive, participatory and accountable education envisioned under the National Education Policy 2020.
–IANS
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