Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 17: In a major administrative relief for school teachers, the Maharashtra government has restructured school-level committees, reducing their number from 15 to just four. The reform, aimed at minimizing the non-academic burden on educators, was notified through an official government resolution issued on Wednesday. The move is set to be rolled out primarily in zilla parishad and government-run schools across the state.

Under the revised framework, schools will now function with only four main committees — the School Management Committee (SMC), the Student Facilities and Physical Development Committee, the Sakhi Savitri Committee, and the Women’s Grievance Redressal Committee.

This rationalization stems from persistent appeals by teaching staff over the years, who argued that excessive administrative duties — including the maintenance of records, agendas, and minutes for numerous committees — detracted from their core role of teaching. Responding to the concerns, School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse established a dedicated study group in December 2024 to recommend a more efficient model.

Following the group’s recommendations, several overlapping committees have been merged. The Mother-Parents Association, school nutrition scheme committee, teacher-parent association, Navbharat literacy committee, tobacco control committee, and Swachhata self-assessment committee have been consolidated into the SMC. Meanwhile, the student safety committee, complaint box committee, school construction committee, transport committee, school management and development committee, and the village committee for Out-of-School Children now fall under the Student Facilities and Physical Development Committee.

This overhaul is expected to ease the pressure on educators, enabling them to concentrate more effectively on academics and student development.

Vijay Kombe, State President of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee, hailed the reform. “This decision was long overdue,” he told . “We welcome the move as it will ease teachers’ administrative load. However, we urge the state to extend similar relief to private schools and also address the increasing burden of online administrative tasks, which continue to hamper classroom teaching.”