Parents to be elected to panels in 1,000 schools

New Delhi: Election of parents to School Management Committees (SMCs) in more than 1,000 Delhi government schools will be held on Saturday. The election will be held for 12 out of 16 posts in SMCs of 1,029 schools across the city.

Parents whose children study in morning shift schools will be able to cast their vote from 8am to 11.30am, while those in evening shift schools, the voting will take place from 1pm to 4.30pm.

Each 16-member SMCs comprise a principal or head of school, 12 parents, a social worker, and a teacher and an elected member of the local authority. The commtteea will review the functioning of the school and strive to improve its working.

The revival of Right to Education (RTE) Act-mandated SMCs as one of the concentration areas of the AAP-led Delhi government.

This is the second election to SMCs after the first was held in 2015. The two-year term of SMC members ended this year.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also has the education portfolio, said that community and parent involvement in making the government schools accountable has proved to be an effective reform in the government schools.