Maharashtra’s education department has launched a Rs 7 crore training drive to strengthen School Management Committees (SMCs) in 75,000 schools, giving parents and community representatives a more active role in decisions on school infrastructure, attendance and academic quality.
The initiative is being implemented under the Community Participation programme of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. It is intended to help SMC members understand their statutory powers, responsibilities and role in preparing school development plans and identifying local requirements.
The department’s decision comes amid concerns that several SMCs in government and aided schools exist largely on paper. Officials and education experts said that better-trained members could help schools identify problems more quickly and press authorities for action at the local level.
“SMCs have an important role in planning for infrastructure, student attendance, academic quality and other requirements of schools. Therefore, members need to clearly understand their rights and responsibilities,” education commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said.
Training for state-level trainers was conducted between September 15 and 17. These trainers will now take the programme to district, taluka and school levels, where SMC members will receive practical guidance on their responsibilities.
The sessions will cover the preparation of school development plans, identification of infrastructure requirements, monitoring of academic quality and oversight of fund use. Members will also be encouraged to place parents’ concerns and suggestions before school authorities, Singh said.
The department plans to use examples from schools where community participation has contributed to improvements. One example cited is Ayodhyanagar Marathi School in Chembur East, where an SMC-led effort between 2015 and 2018 helped secure civic action on problems involving the school building, teacher shortages and academic improvement.
Educationist Arvind Vaidya said the training should ensure that parents receive not only responsibilities but also the confidence and freedom to exercise the powers available to them. He said their experiences should form part of the school improvement process.
Social worker Mumtaz Shaikh said stronger SMCs could help schools respond faster to local needs. Many committees remain inactive because members are unaware of what they can do, she said, adding that greater awareness could help parents raise issues related to facilities, attendance and learning more effectively.
The department’s stated objective is to move SMCs from being statutory bodies that often remain inactive to functioning partners in school development. The next stage of the programme will involve district, taluka and school-level training across Maharashtra.