Overall management and development of schools duty of management committees

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In the recently published rulebook for the schools, the education department has placed several duties on the management committees. It also added that the assets and properties of the school have to be looked after by the teachers, students, parents and alumni. The Samagra Shiksha Assam maintains that every elementary school will form a School Management Committee (SMC) and every secondary school must have a School Management & Development Committee (SMDC). These committees must take the necessary steps for the school’s overall management and development and some of their duties are as follows.

SMC/SMDC will be responsible for activities, including planning, collection of data, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and taking corrective actions on all components and interventions of infrastructural as well as academic schemes. They will also prepare a school Annual Action Plan or School Development Plan. These organisations can also carry out civil works, including repair & maintenance of the existing building to improve school facilities and certify the maintenance and repair work undertaken by civil contractors.

SMC and SMDC will maintain records for recurring as well as non-recurring expenditures and these must be updated regularly before the committee in every meeting. They will inspect the set of works and take stock of the progress of recurring and nonrecurring expenditures under various components of the scheme, availability of required facilities of textbooks, the status of education including teacher attendance, conduct of teachers and students, quality aspects, health condition of students, equity aspects like problems encountered by girl students, ST/SC, children belonging to BPL families, Children With Special Needs (CWSN) and educationally backward students.

Another key point is that the school assets are developed using public funds and as such it is the duty of everyone associated to maintain these assets properly. And to that end, certain rules have been announced. As per those rules, the school campus must have a boundary wall with gates having proper locking options. If that is not available, the SMC or SMDC must construct bamboo fences using funds from school grants or contributions from local people or alumni. Classrooms must have proper locking facilities and cattle should not be allowed to loiter or graze in the campus ground.

The school grant money must be properly utilised for maintaining the school building and campus and appropriate action should be taken for Water and Energy Conservation. All teachers, irrespective of their subjects, must have minimum knowledge or awareness about computers and accessories including tele education equipment and smart classroom equipment. Also, all schools must maintain an assets register to keep records of all movable and immovable assets or properties and the SMC and SMDC must prepare an asset management plan and act accordingly. And any damage, whether major or minor must be recorded in the Asset Register and reported to the higher authority and ensure that minor damages do not blow up. Schools must maintain a clean and green environment and under no circumstances will the school authorities allow the holding of any function of outside organizations in the school premises without permission from higher authorities. Also, schools will not allow the use of any furniture or equipment by any individual, family or organization for temporary use.

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