Bhubaneswar: In a significant overhaul aimed at strengthening school governance and enhancing community participation, the Odisha government will constitute new School Management Committees (SMCs) in all government and government-aided schools starting July 1.
The tenure of the existing SMCs and School Management and Development Committees (SMDCs) will conclude on June 30, marking the end of the previous dual-structure system.
Under the revised framework, guided by the School Management Committee Guidelines, 2026 — adapted from the Union Ministry of Education — each school will operate with a single unified SMC. This change seeks to eliminate duplication of roles, simplify decision-making processes, and improve coordination in school development activities.
To provide focused oversight, two specialised sub-committees will function under the SMC: the School Building Committee, responsible for infrastructure development, maintenance, repair works, and utilisation of civil works grants, and the School Academic Committee, tasked with enhancing learning outcomes, monitoring classroom processes, student attendance, performance, and academic planning.S
tate Project Director of Samagra Shiksha, Ananya Das, has directed all District Education Officers-cum-District Project Coordinators to complete the reconstitution exercise on schedule. Parent-General Body meetings and the election or selection of members are to be held between July 1 and July 15. The new SMCs must be formally formed and resolutions submitted to Block Education Officers by July 17, with block-level consolidation by July 21 and final district reports reaching the State Project Office by July 22.
The size of each SMC will depend on student enrolment: 15 members for schools with up to 100 students, 20 members for those with 100–500 students, and 25 members for schools exceeding 500 students. Notably, 75 per cent of the members will be parents or guardians, with at least 50 per cent of the overall committee comprising women. The guidelines ensure adequate representation from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC/SEBC), and parents of Children with Special Needs (CWSN), promoting greater inclusivity.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond emphasised that the new committees will foster wider participation, including from parents of children with disabilities and marginalised communities. “Fifty per cent of the members of the SMCs will be women. The committees will comprise parents, members selected by local government officials, school teachers, local educationists, and Anganwadi and ASHA workers,” he told the media.
Each committee will serve a two-year tenure, he added.
he reconstituted SMCs will play a much broader role than before. Beyond monitoring student attendance and learning outcomes, they will oversee infrastructure, financial management, school safety, sanitation, implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and community engagement. Additional responsibilities include preparing School Development Plans, conducting regular social audits, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of government schemes and funds.
