Recognizing the essential role that parents can play through School Management Committees (SMCs) in government schools, the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad (HSSPP) conducted the First Quarter SMC Training for district officials (Assistant Project Coordinators) and block level officials (Mentor Trainers: Nominated Block Resource Persons) in-person in Panchkula on 29th and 30th May.
This training was held under the leadership of Shri Jitender Kumar (Director, Secondary Education, Haryana) and Special Secretary to the Government, Haryana, School Education Department and State Project Director, HSSPP, Mr. Myank Verma, Joint State Project Director, HSSPP, Shri Sanjay Kumar, Consultant, HSSPP and Smt. Sonali Vohra, Project Coordinator, (Science), HSSPP).
“The main objective of this training was to strengthen SMCs. SMCs reflect the vision of the community. SMCs ensure that the community’s expectations from the education department reach the officials in the department. It is also important that the SMC is aware of what activities and support are available from the department. This training will ensure that SMCs are aware of this and can help their school better” – Mr Myank Verma, Joint State Project Director, HSSPP
Section 21 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act mandates the constitution of SMCs in every government school across the country. SMCs are a platform for parents, students, teachers, school leaders and local government representatives to come together and work on issues for the welfare of the school. An SMC is a platform to involve parents, social workers, panchayat members etc to play an active role in the planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes running in the school. It is an avenue to bring the needs and aspirations of different people to the table, to brainstorm and align on decisions that impact students. If we consider the school a village, the SMC functions as a Panchayat.
In order for SMCs to function effectively, it is important that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Without this awareness, SMCs will not be able to partner with the school for its development. The chances of an informed, involved and invested SMC enabling positive outcomes for a school is significantly higher.
This day-long training, conducted by HSSPP, has initiated an effective cascade, which ensured that the participants of this capacity-building effort become trainers to further support and train officials at the block level and SMC members at the school level. The training was supported by non-profit organizations Samarthya and Anubhuti Samiti. The training witnessed participation from 133 officials across all districts of Haryana.
The session focused on detailing SMC’s role in improving student outcomes, in effectively using the SMC portal and Vidyanjali Portal, in improving school-parent relationships, in making schools gender inclusive, in building key relationships, in showing how they can work as a team and manage their emotions. This information was provided by Ketika Nirula, Director of Programs at Samarthya.
“The trainers were energetic throughout the session. We learnt how SMCs can be activated and how we can train them. We were also shown what an ideal, interactive Parent Teacher Meeting can look like. We learnt about the Vidyanjali Portal and the SMC portal. The whole session was done through activities, which was very interactive. We hope to deliver this message effectively to the officials and SMC members in our districts over the next few months”, said an education official from Rohtak after attending the training.
Earlier, HSSPP conducted Sanjhi Sabha, the statewide SMC formation across 14000+ government schools in Haryana in July 2023. The initiative was celebrated as a festival of participation in all government schools in the state.
As a part of this continued effort to strengthen SMCs, the training session at Panchkula was a step towards guiding the approach of the training of SMC members in 14000+ government schools of Haryana. In the coming months, the effect of the cascade will reach blocks and schools. In involving the administrative officials in this process and conducting frequent training for them, HSSPP has ensured change, progress and participation at all levels.
Active parent participation is one of the main catalysts for enabling change in the public education ecosystem. Parents play an important role in supporting the school in its development by participating in its governance. Insights from parents, drawn from first hand observations of their environment and their children’s experiences, contribute to a much more nuanced understanding of the status of a government school. Discussing and deliberating upon parents’ concerns and aspirations paves the way for a better quality education, ensuring a brighter future for students.
Bridging the distance and bringing schools and communities closer is an uphill task- one that requires systemic efforts and insight. Through this training, HSSPP has taken great strides in forging strong partnerships between schools and communities.
