Latest news with #SMCs
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Gujarat orders reconstitution of school management committees in primary schools
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat govt has directed the reconstitution of school management committees (SMCs) in all govt primary schools during the first week of the new academic session 2025-26. The last formation was carried out in 2023-24, and as per the RTE Act , SMCs must be reconstituted every two years. Each SMC will consist of 12 members, with 75% (i.e., 9 members) being parents or guardians of children currently studying in the school. Equal representation must be ensured for parents of children from disadvantaged and weaker sections. The remaining 25% will include one elected local authority member (gram panchayat or nagar shikshan samiti), one teacher from the school, one local educationist nominated by the parent members, and one local mason (kadiyo). If no mason is available in the village, one from a nearby village will be appointed. The president of the SMC will appoint the mason. From the parent members, a chairperson and vice-chairperson will be selected. The school principal, or the most senior teacher if the principal is not available, will serve as the SMC secretary. After completion, each CRC coordinator must submit a certificate of SMC reconstitution to the BRC, who will forward a consolidated report to the district project coordinator, and finally to the office of Samagra Shiksha.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Restructuring of school management committees central focus of three-day enrollment drive in Gujarat
Restructuring of school management commitees (SMCs) and School Management Development Committees (SMDCs) in Gujarat is the central focus of an annual enrollment drive — Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelevani Mahotsav — scheduled for next month after the government issued directions in this regard to all District Education Officers (DEOs), Administrative Officers and heads of departments (HoDs). After an assessment of the SMCs — a key provision under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or the Right to Education Act aimed at ensuring community participation in the governance and monitoring of elementary education — revealed that a majority of such committees lies either only on paper or defunct, the Gujarat government is set to restructure these decision-making bodies at government primary schools. These panels also comprise parents and decide on spending of grants. A virtual interaction between Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and members of the SMCs from Gujarat schools were held on April 28. The Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelevani Mahotsav is scheduled for June 18-20 across government and grant-in-aid Balvatika, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools, Gyan Shakti Residential Schools and Rakshashakti Residential Schools across the state. For the annual enrollment drive, the emphasis this year has been 'placed on reducing dropouts in secondary education which should be given special attention', stated the directive issued to all districts, adding that 'accordingly, the outline of the programme should be prepared, publicity should be done, advertisement hoardings should be put up and other ancillary actions should be taken'. 'As part of proper implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which lays emphasis on increasing the participation of the local community, it has been decided to organise the Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani 2025 to activate and empower the SMCs and SMDCs. The entire programme should be planned systematically keeping the activity of SMCs as the central theme in the drive,' Education Minister Kuber Dindor told The Indian Express. This year, as per the provisions of Right to Education Act, 2009, SMCs and SMDCs are to be reconstituted by convening parent meetings in schools from the new academic session, starting June — when two-year term of the SMCs will be come to an end. NEP 2020 emphasises a holistic, inclusive and community-centred approach to education. The formation and functions of SMCs and SMDCs are directly linked to the key objectives of the policy, such as community participation, school development and quality improvement, inclusive education, transparency and accountability. During the three-day enrollment drive, officials and politicians, including elected representatives right from the Chief Minister to corporators, IAS, IPS and government officials, will visit one primary school and two secondary and higher secondary schools each. While Section 21 of RTE Act mandates all government, government-aided, and special-category schools (except unaided private schools) to constitute an SMC within six months of the Act's implementation and reconstituted every two years, it was observed that even the reconstitution fails to achieve the objectives of SMCs. Depending on the students' strength, an SMC consists of elected representatives from the local authority, parents or guardians of students, and teachers — the key requirements being that at least 75 per cent members must be parents or guardians, 50 per cent women, and that there should be proportionate representation for parents of children from disadvantaged groups and weaker sections. Other members include one-third from the local authority, one-third from teachers, and one-third from local educationists or students (if no educationist is available). The SMC elects a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson among the parent members. The SMCs also have to prepare and recommend School Development Plans, which outlines the schools' needs and development goals, as well as monitors the utilisation of government grants for the schools' improvement, apart from with maintaining and auditing accounts of school funds, ensuring transparency.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Schools in Haryana to reconstitute management panels, announce social audit for FY26
Gurgaon: Govt schools across Haryana are set to undergo reconstitution of their school management committees (SMCs) for the 2025-26 academic year. This follows the conclusion of the previous committees' two-year term in March 2025. The reconstitution process is a key requirement to ensure active community involvement in school governance and the effective implementation of educational mandates.A crucial part of this initiative is the scheduled "Sanji Sabha," or joint meeting, to be held in all govt schools between May 19 and May 23, 2025. These meetings are intended to bring together parents, guardians, and community representatives to participate in forming the new SMCs and discuss educational advancements. According to officials, participation from at least 50% of enrolled students' parents or guardians is required for the "Sanji Sabha". Elected representatives from local governing bodies will also be invited to attend the composition of the SMCs will be determined by student enrollment, with committees ranging from 12 to 20 members. These committees will include parents, elected local officials, teachers, social workers focused on education, and school administrators. The school's head will serve as the convener. A structured process for selecting members, including parent representatives, local officials, and social workers, will be followed. The chairperson and vice-chairperson will be chosen by elected parent members in the first SMC meeting. Former chairpersons or vice-chairpersons will not be re-elected, and only one member per family can serve on the SMC. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
NMR yet to take off; less than 1% of doctors have applied for enrollment so far
NEW DELHI: The National Medical Register (NMR), a centralised database of registered medical practitioners in modern medicine in the country, has received less than one per cent of doctor applications for enrollment in the last eight months despite it being mandatory for registered doctors in India to enrol in the central registry. But what is shocking is that out of the less than one per cent of doctors who have so far applied for NMR, which was launched with great fanfare by Union Health Minister J P Nadda on August 23, 98 per cent of applications have not been approved. There are over 13 lakh registered medical practitioners (RMPs) in India. According to an RTI, the National Medical Council (NMC) received 10,411 applications till April 24. The RTI reply, dated April 29, said that the total number of applications not approved to date is 10,237, including 139 applications where queries were raised. 'The total number of applications rejected to date is two,' the reply said. According to Kerala-based Dr K V Babu, who filed the RTI, according to information provided by the NMC, 13,08,009 allopathic doctors were registered with the State Medical Councils (SMCs) and the NMC as of June 2022. 'The RTI has revealed that 10,411 applications were submitted, of which the NMC has not approved 10,237. The NMC should understand the implications of 98% non-approval of the applications. Of the over 13 lakh doctors, over 10,000 applicants have even applied for the registration in about eight months. It is just 0.8% of the total doctors in India,' Dr Babu told this paper. He said what is ironic is that 98% of applications have not been approved. The NMR is mandated under Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019, which states that the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of NMC shall maintain a national register in electronic form containing the name, address, and all recognised qualifications possessed by a licensed medical practitioner. As per the gazette notification of May 10, 2023, enrolling is mandatory in NMR, which Nadda had described as a comprehensive and dynamic database for allopathic (MBBS) registered doctors in India at the time of its launch. The RTI activist said there are a few takers for NMR because the registration process has become very complicated. He said that once the registration number and degree certificates are verified by the SMCs, the NMC should automatically enrol doctors, as the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) did in the past. But in the new process, the doctors are asked not only to upload Aadhar but also to submit an affidavit if their names or state medical council names do not match the current data. 'NMC should withdraw the direction to upload the affidavit,' said Dr Babu, one of the doctors who faced immense problems getting himself registered because the name on his Aadhaar and his certificate was different. Dr Babu said the situation was brought to the attention of the NMC chairman last year in October. 'Instead of rectifying the mistake, NMC is continuing the ineffective method of NMR registration, which will be disastrous. If this continues, it will take 100 years for doctors to be registered.' The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has four lakh members, also took up the matter with the NMC last year.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi cabinet approves draft bill to regulate fees in private, govt schools
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and government schools in the city to regulate school fee. The bill, which was approved by the Rekha Gupta cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for school fee structures, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Education minister Ashish Sood, while announcing the passage of the bill, said, 'Schools can't increase fees arbitrarily. We issued show-cause notices to schools. Fees will be regulated transparently." The initiative follows growing concerns among parents about rising school fees, which led to protests and widespread frustration. Many parents accused the School Management Committees (SMCs) of mismanagement, as these bodies should have been addressing such issues. In response, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had recently announced the immediate dissolution of all existing SMCs in government and government-aided institutions across Delhi. To replace the existing committees, fresh elections will be held on May 9 to reconstitute the SMCs. The election process will be overseen by a school-level election committee, led by the head of the school and supported by a teacher convener, according to a circular issued by the DoE. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also expressed her support for the bill, stating, "I feel overjoyed to tell you that Delhi Government has made a historic and brave decision, and the draft bill has been passed by the cabinet today. A complete guideline, procedure for fees will be decided for all 1677 schools in Delhi, whether that is aided, non-aided, private and all kinds of schools. For the first time in history such a bill is being drafted by the Delhi Government which is foolproof." In addition to the bill, investigation committees, headed by subdivisional magistrates, were set up earlier this month to audit private schools in the city, following complaints of unjustified fee hikes. The education department has also launched an official email address, ddeact1@ under the supervision of the deputy director of education, for parents to report grievances. Parents can also lodge complaints at DoE offices. (With agency inputs)
