‘SMC Sabha’ held to resolve issues of government schools

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, September 11

The Delhi Government organised the first-ever 'SMC Sabha' for School Management Committees (SMCs) of government schools located in the Burari Assembly constituency. 

Empowering SMCs has been a top priority of the government for more than a year. The SMC Sabha was one more step towards making the government accountable to parents of students. 

SMC members from 15 schools of Burari had assembled in the Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV) - Civil Lines, to share their grievances with the government officials. 

"The government is very keen on involving parents and the community in school administration. SMCs are playing a very constructive role in improving the condition of government schools," said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the event. 

The idea behind holding SMC Sabha was to provide a platform to SMC members to voice their issues with the schools, said an official. 

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, sought tighter deadlines for completion of work and "pulled up" officials who were found to be lax while assuring the parents that he will "personally follow up" all commitments made by officials to ensure timely work. 

As a parent complained about poor grain quality in midday meals, the minister gave a one-week deadline to improve quality failing which the contractor would be penalised and replaced, he said. 

When a group of parents from the Mukundpur School in Burari complained about a delay in construction of classrooms, Sisodia asked both PWD and Education department officials to convene a meeting on Monday and finish the paperwork by the end of the day. 

Advisor to the Deputy Chief Minister, Atishi Marlena, said, "SMCs have changed the way the schools function and this effort was to make the government directly answerable to parents of children who study in our schools."