In a bid to ensure representation of parents in schools through the Right to Education mandated School Management Committees (SMC), the Delhi government on Saturday conducted SMC elections for over 12,000 parent member positions.
The SMC elections were conducted in over 1,000 Delhi government schools. Parents of 16 lakh children, who are currently enrolled in these schools, were eligible to cast their votes.
Highlighting the positive outcomes of the polls, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “Parents of children are the most invested stakeholders in schools and have successfully used the SMC platform to improve conditions. Community and parent involvement in keeping government schools accountable has proved to be the most effective reform in Delhi government schools.”
Community participation
“The SMC election today (Saturday) has cemented the culture of community participation in management of schools,” added Mr. Sisodia.
“The revival of the SMC has been the cornerstone of the Delhi government’s education reforms. The bodies used to exist on paper, but have become active and effective over the last two years. Empowering parents through SMCs has helped forge teacher-parent partnerships to take school reforms forward,” said a statement issued by the Department of Education .
The DoE added that in a first, DANICS officers and superintendents were deployed as observers, in all the 1,029 schools, to ensure a free and fair election.
