School parents' bodies to discuss common problems

The recently formed School Management Committees – which have parents on board for running institutions in each Assembly constituency – will hold joint consultations to identify common problems and share solutions with each other.

This proposal of the Arvind Kejriwal government is aimed at giving a greater say to parents in the way problems faced by schools should be tackled.

Speedy resolution of grievances raised by the parent bodies attached to individual schools would be the focus of a blueprint prepared to institutionalise sharing of scalable models and success stories at brainstorming sessions in each constituency, said an official.

Kejriwal’s suggestion to hold ‘SMC sabha’ in each constituency has been ordered by the education department.

“These SMC Sabhas shall take place once in three months,” said an official. The government recently allowed parents of students studying in a particular school to contest elections for managing committees of that institution.

At least 12 parents have been elected to each school’s managing committee which is headed by the principal of the institution.  The area legislator, a teacher representing the school’s teachers and an educationist are also included in the committee.

The “SMC Sabha” in each constituency shall include the area MLAs, Deputy Directors of Education, Public Works Department and Delhi Jal Board officials.

The officials of the departments related to maintenance of basic facilities in schools would be expected to respond on the spot to the issues raised by parent-members of
the SMCs, said an aide of Kejriwal.

“The list of issues and grievances raised in each of these SMC Sabhas shall be prepared by the DDE (Zone) and counter-signed by the MLA shall be submitted to the Director of Education as well as the office of Education Minister Manish Sisodia,” said an official in the right to education cell of the department.

 The concept of involving parents to monitor schools’ functioning is not entirely a brainchild of the AAP government.

The provision has existed in the Right to Education law since 2009 but it is for the first time that the city government has decided to implement the provision.

According to a senior official of the education department, one of the key roles given to the SMCs is to identify students requiring special training and organise such training.