Review key schemes' outcomes in Dec 5 SMC meet: Education dept

CHENNAI: The School Education Department has directed all government and aided schools to conduct their monthly School Management Committee (SMC) meeting on December 5 between 3 pm and 4.30 pm.

Since the restructuring of SMCs in August last year and the induction of newly elected members, schools have been holding monthly meetings to discuss academic, administrative issues and overall development needs.

Besides the routine agenda, the Department has instructed schools to review the outcomes of the Thiran initiative, under which subject-wise assessments were conducted recently, and results were released in November.

The SMCs have also been instructed to discuss the implementation status of key schemes, including Ennum Ezhuthum (literacy and numeracy), the Guide to Higher Education programme, All Children in School (ACS), activities for children with disabilities, the Manarkeni mobile application, the school house system, and Aadhaar updates for students.

The School Education Department introduced SMCs to ensure that school-specific issues concerning infrastructure, students, and teachers are promptly addressed so that no barrier affects learning in government and aided schools.

In July 2024, the Department issued an order forming new committees for the academic years 2024–26.

The establishment of an SMC is mandatory under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. Although the committees had become inactive during earlier academic years, they were reconstituted in 2022. As per norms, the SMC must comprise a majority of parents, with at least one woman parent, along with the head of the school and one teacher representative.

However, teachers said that they continue to face difficulties in ensuring active parental participation despite the mandate in place.