BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has directed all government and government-aided schools across the state to constitute new School Management Committees (SMCs) by July, with 75 per cent of the members comprising parents and guardians.
School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond said the directive has been issued to all district education officers (DEOs) in view of completion of the tenure of the existing SMCs on June 30.
The decision also follows the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines 2026 issued by the department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education. The revised guidelines aim to strengthen school governance, improve accountability and enhance community participation in school administration.
Under the new framework, every school will have a single School Management Committee, replacing the earlier system of separate School Management Committees (SMCs) and School Management and Development Committees (SMDCs).
Each SMC will also have two dedicated sub-committees - a School Building Committee to oversee infrastructure development and maintenance and an Academic Committee to monitor teaching, learning outcomes and academic activities.
“The move will streamline school administration while ensuring greater focus on infrastructure and educational quality,” the minister said.
He said the size of the SMC will vary according to student enrolment. Schools with up to 100 students will have 12 to 15 members, while those with 100 to 500 students will constitute 15 to 20-member committees. Similarly, schools with more than 500 students will have 20 to 25 members.
The structure is intended at ensuring adequate representation based on the size of each institution, Gond said.
The guidelines place strong emphasis on community participation, with around 75 per cent of the committee members being parents or guardians of students studying in the school. The government has also mandated inclusive representation by ensuring that at least 50 per cent of the members are women.
The Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) has also issued a detailed timeline for constituting the new committees. The SMCs will be formally constituted on July 17, while resolutions and consolidated committee details must be submitted to OSEPA by July 22. Schools have been instructed to complete the entire process within the stipulated timeline.