Ranchi: The size of school management committees (SMCs) in the state will now be determined by student enrolment, according to amended guidelines issued by the state school education and literacy department.Earlier, SMC membership was based on school category, with primary and middle schools having 16 members and high schools 19.Under the revised rules, schools with up to 100 students will have 12 to 15 SMC members, those with 100 to 500 students will have 15 to 20 members, and schools with over 500 students will have 20 to 25 members.The new framework strengthens the role of parents, teachers, local representatives and community members in creating safe, inclusive and enriching learning environments.Department secretary Uma Shankar Singh said, “The amended guidelines place the role of parents at the centre and ensure active participation of women in SMCs. There is a special focus on social and gender equality, as well as children with special needs.”Singh added that the guidelines aim to build a culture of responsibility, accountability and participation in schools, where every decision is made in favour of children, and urged parents and community members to actively participate in school activities.Women must constitute at least 50% of total SMC membership, while parents must make up at least 75%. A 15-member SMC will have 11 parents, a 20-member committee will include 15 parents, and a 25-member committee will have 19 parents.The tenure of SMC members has been reduced from three years to two years to encourage wider participation. To ensure transparency, more than one member of the same family cannot serve on an SMC simultaneously, and family members cannot hold consecutive terms as chairperson.Each SMC will also form a five-member civil work sub-committee for infrastructure-related decisions and a seven-member education sub-committee to monitor learning indicators and quality education.
