Can’t bunk work, parents in TN may skip School Management Committee meeting

CHENNAI: With the first meeting of the School Management Committee (SMC) scheduled for October 25, since it was reconstituted in August, school managements -- from principals to teachers -- claim they are finding it difficult to encourage parents to participate in the meetings.

The School Education Department has introduced the SMC to address any concerns related to schools, students and teachers, and to pave the way for smooth functioning of schools, both government and aided, in the State. The department, in July, notified that new members of the committee will be appointed for two academic years, from 2024 to 2026. It also made it mandatory for all government and aided schools to form SMCs as per the provisions of Tamil Nadu Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act.

Though the committees were dormant through previous academic years, it was reconstituted by the department in 2022. SMC members primarily comprises parents, mandatorily a woman parent, a school head and a teacher of the school. As the committee is mandated to hold regular meetings, teachers are having a tough time ensuring parents’ involvement.

“Parents have expressed inconvenience to attend meetings scheduled on weekdays as they will have to skip work and lose pay. The upcoming meeting is scheduled for a Friday, and most parents have expressed disappointment,” said a teacher at a government-aided school.

Meanwhile, a parent who is a member of SMC at North Chennai school, added, “Parents who are interested in pursuing a political career or want to be active on public forums do not mind missing work. But that is not the case with all parents. We request the meetings to be scheduled for everyone’s convenience.”