Mumbai: In a decisive move to ease the administrative burden on teachers, the state government has overhauled the structure of school-level committees, reducing their number from 15 to just four. This reform will apply across government-run and Zilla Parishad schools, with the aim of allowing educators to focus more on teaching and less on non-academic tasks.
Over the years, multiple committees had been established at the school level to oversee specific functions such as mid-day meals, parent-teacher coordination, student safety, infrastructure, complaint redressal, literacy programmes, and more. While these committees were well-intentioned, the increasing number led to overlapping responsibilities and a growing administrative burden on school principals and teaching staff.
Recognising the strain this placed on teachers—particularly their teaching time—the state government has consolidated these into four essential committees: the School Management Committee, the Student Safety and Infrastructure Development Committee, the Sakhi Savitri Committee (for girl students’ welfare), and the Internal Complaints Committee (to handle gender-based grievances).
The School Management Committee will now absorb responsibilities previously held by bodies such as the Parent-Teacher Association, Mid-Day Meal Committee, Tobacco Control Committee, and others. It will serve as the primary forum for planning, school development, and parent engagement. Similarly, the Student Safety and Infrastructure Development Committee will handle issues related to transport, safety, dropout monitoring, and maintenance of school facilities.
The government has also specified the composition and duties of each committee to ensure efficiency and avoid duplication. Meetings are to be held on Saturdays, and no additional allowances will be provided to committee members. Importantly, this reform is expected to free up time for teachers to focus on classroom instruction and student learning outcomes.
Vijay Kombe, president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Association, welcomed the government’s decision to streamline school-level committees—a long-standing demand aimed at reducing teachers’ administrative burden. He also called for a separate resolution for private schools and urged immediate action to curb non-academic online tasks that disrupt daily teaching.
