NewzVille Desk
Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines on Wednesday at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Ashish Sood, Education Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi; Gajender Yadav, Minister of School Education, Government of Chhattisgarh; Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL); Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ashok Kumar Meena and Archana S. Awasthi, Additional Secretary, DoSEL, along with other senior officials, were present during the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Dharmendra Pradhan said that the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines–2026 will play a pivotal role in translating the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 into action across the country’s nearly 15 lakh schools.
He said the Guidelines envision SMCs as a vital bridge between students, teachers, parents, and communities to ensure holistic development of children through stronger community participation and shared responsibility in education.
Pradhan emphasised that while the government is committed to ensuring education, health, well-being, mental health, and support for Children With Special Needs (CWSN), the SMC Guidelines also recognise the importance of handholding, mentoring, and community ownership in strengthening schools.
He said the Guidelines aim to develop SMCs into a sustainable culture and a people’s movement for improving educational outcomes.
Highlighting the role of initiatives like Vidyanjali in encouraging greater public participation, he noted that India’s education system has historically thrived under community leadership, and the new SMC Guidelines seek to revive that spirit by placing schools once again at the centre of societal engagement.
The meeting was virtually attended by several State Education Ministers, including Mahipal Dhanda, School, Higher and Technical Education Minister, Haryana; Dadaji Bhuse, School Education and Marathi Language Minister, Maharashtra; Dr. Vanlalthlana, Minister for School Education, Higher and Technical Education, Mizoram; Kishor Barman, Higher Education Minister, Government of Tripura; Dhan Singh Rawat, Education Minister, Uttarakhand; and Temjen Imna Along, Higher Education Minister, Nagaland.
