50% members to be women, say new guidelines

LUCKNOW: At least 50% of the members of school management committees in the government and aided primary and upper primary schools will be women, according to guidelines issued to all the district magistrates in Uttar Pradesh.

“There will be 15 members in the school management committee, out of which 11 members will be parents or guardians of the children studying, but 50% of the members of the committee will be women,” the guidelines issued by principal secretary (basic education) Deepak Kumar said.

The tenure of the existing school management committees (SMCs) will end on November 30 and new committees will replace them.

The remaining four members will be: a member from amongst the elected members of the local authority to be decided by the local authority, a member to be taken from among the auxiliary nurse and midwives (ANMs), which shall be decided by the headmaster of the school; a lekhpal nominated by the district magistrate and one member shall be the head teacher of the school or, in case of non-appointment of the head teacher, the in-charge head teacher, who shall be the ex officio membersecretary of the committee, he said.Parents or guardians of children belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and weaker sections will be included as parent members of the (respective) school management committee, the order reads.

The order also says, “Only one school management committee will be constituted in primary, upper primary and composite schools established in the same premises. The school management committee will be constituted in all Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools of the state.” Kumar said, “The work of formation of new school management committees in the schools is to be done during the period from November 20 to 30, so that the newly constituted school management committee can become functional from December 1, 2022.”

In view of the latest provisions of the National Education Policy2020, Nipun Bharat Mission and financial system, the guidelines have been issued for the formation of new School Management Committees in every school except unaided schools. This committee will be reconstituted every two years.

After the completion of 23 months of the tenure of the committee, the process of formation of new school management committee should be started. Before the end of 24th month, the new committee should be constituted.

The parent members of the school management committee will be selected by consensus in an open meeting.

In case of dispute, secret ballot will be conducted by the presence of the block education officer. Representation from each class is mandatory in the selection of 11 parent members of the school management committee.