UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines 2026 applicability over differently managed schools

Q1. With reference to the School Management Committee (SMC) constituted under Section 21 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, consider the following statements:

1. Not less than three-fourths of the members of the SMC shall be parents or guardians of children studying in the school.
2. At least 50% of the members of the SMC shall be women.
3. The head teacher of the school serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of the SMC.
4. The SMC of an aided minority school functions only in an advisory capacity.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. Under the Model Rules framed pursuant to Section 21 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the term 'ex-officio Member-Convener' of the School Management Committee refers exclusively to which one of the following functionaries?

• A. The Block Education Officer having jurisdiction over the school
• B. The elected Sarpanch or Ward Councillor of the local authority within whose area the school is located
• C. The head teacher of the school, or where there is no head teacher, the senior-most teacher of the school
• D. A parent member of the SMC nominated by the Chairperson for a fixed tenure

Q3. Under which one of the following sub-clauses of Section 2(n) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 are the schools that have been kept outside the mandatory ambit of the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines, 2026 defined?

• A. Section 2(n)(i)
• B. Section 2(n)(ii)
• C. Section 2(n)(iii)
• D. Section 2(n)(iv)

Q4. With reference to the applicability of the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines, 2026 across the categories of schools defined under Section 2(n) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, consider the following statements:

1. Schools established, owned or controlled by the appropriate Government or a local authority [Section 2(n)(i)] fall within the mandatory ambit of the SMC Guidelines, 2026.
2. Schools belonging to the 'specified category' [Section 2(n)(iii)] such as Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas are exempted from the SMC Guidelines, 2026 on the same footing as unaided schools.
3. An unaided minority school that does not receive any aid or grant from the appropriate Government or local authority is not bound to constitute an SMC under the 2026 Guidelines, but may do so voluntarily.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines, 2026 and the subsequent clarification (May 2026) regarding their applicability over differently managed schools were issued by which one of the following?

• A. Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
• B. Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
• C. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
• D. Ministry of Women and Child Development

Q6. In the Ministry of Education's clarification of May 2026 on the SMC Guidelines, 2026, the exemption granted to certain unaided schools (including unaided minority schools) from the mandatory applicability of the Guidelines is anchored in which provision of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009?

• A. Section 12(1)(c)
• B. Section 21
• C. Section 2(n)(iv)
• D. Section 18

Q7. Which one of the following is the statutory body established by an Act of Parliament specifically to safeguard the rights of notified religious minorities under Article 30(1) of the Constitution to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice?

• A. National Commission for Minorities
• B. National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions
• C. National Council for Educational Research and Training
• D. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Q8. With reference to the applicability of School Management Committees (SMCs) under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 and the SMC Guidelines, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. Under Section 21 of the RTE Act, 2009, the requirement to constitute a School Management Committee extends only to wholly Government-run schools, whereas the SMC Guidelines, 2026 extend this requirement for the first time to Government-aided schools. 2. The SMC Guidelines, 2026 exempt schools falling under Section 2(n)(iv) of the RTE Act, 2009 from mandatory compliance, provided such schools receive no aid or grants from the appropriate Government or local authority. 3. The Ministry of Education has encouraged schools exempt from the SMC Guidelines, 2026, including unaided minority schools, to voluntarily constitute School Management Committees to promote transparency and participatory governance. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Under Section 21 of the RTE Act, 2009, the requirement to constitute a School Management Committee extends only to wholly Government-run schools, whereas the SMC Guidelines, 2026 extend this requirement for the first time to Government-aided schools.
2. The SMC Guidelines, 2026 exempt schools falling under Section 2(n)(iv) of the RTE Act, 2009 from mandatory compliance, provided such schools receive no aid or grants from the appropriate Government or local authority.
3. The Ministry of Education has encouraged schools exempt from the SMC Guidelines, 2026, including unaided minority schools, to voluntarily constitute School Management Committees to promote transparency and participatory governance.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. With reference to the architecture of community participation in school education in India, consider the following statements:

1. Section 21 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 mandates the constitution of School Management Committees in government, aided and specified-category schools, requiring at least 75 per cent of members to be parents/guardians and at least 50 per cent to be women.
2. The National Education Policy, 2020 recommends grouping of schools into 'School Complexes', each comprising one higher-secondary school along with other schools and Anganwadis within a 5-10 km radius, to serve as the basic unit of governance.
3. The School Management Committee Guidelines, 2026 reposition SMCs from advisory/monitoring bodies under the RTE Act into 'school community governing institutions' to operationalise the NEP 2020 vision.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Under the National Education Policy, 2020, which one of the following is envisaged as the basic unit of governance for sharing of resources and effective oversight by local stakeholders in school education?

• A. The School Complex/Cluster
• B. The Block Resource Centre
• C. The Cluster Resource Centre
• D. The School Management Committee

Q11. With reference to the Samagra Shiksha Scheme of the Government of India and the schemes it replaced, consider the following statements:

1. It subsumes the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education schemes into a single Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
2. Unlike the predecessor schemes which addressed elementary and secondary stages separately, Samagra Shiksha treats school education as a continuum from pre-school to Class XII.
3. The composite school grant per school under Samagra Shiksha was revised downward from the earlier Rs 25,000 - Rs 1 lakh slab to Rs 14,500 - Rs 50,000.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. The Samagra Shiksha Scheme, which serves as the funding vehicle for capacity building and training of School Management Committees in India, is implemented by which one of the following?

• A. Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
• B. Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
• C. Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• D. NITI Aayog, in partnership with State Education Departments

Q13. Within the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, the subject 'Education, including technical education, medical education and universities' is the lead matter dealt with under which one of the following entries of the Concurrent List?

• A. Entry 20
• B. Entry 25
• C. Entry 26
• D. Entry 45

Q14. By which one of the following Constitutional Amendment Acts was the subject 'Education' transferred from the State List to the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India?

• A. The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976
• B. The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978
• C. The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992
• D. The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002

Q15. As per the School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines, 2026 issued by the Ministry of Education, the School Development Plan to be prepared by the SMC covers a period of how many years?

• A. One year
• B. Two years
• C. Three years
• D. Five years

Q16. With reference to the functions of a School Management Committee (SMC) under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 as compared with the SMC Guidelines, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. While the RTE Act, 2009 requires the SMC to prepare a School Development Plan, the SMC Guidelines, 2026 specify it as a three-year plan with three annual sub-plans. 2. The requirement that at least fifty per cent of the members of the SMC shall be women, prescribed under the RTE framework, has been retained under the SMC Guidelines, 2026. 3. Unlike the RTE Act, 2009, the SMC Guidelines, 2026 for the first time empower the SMC to monitor the utilisation of grants received from the appropriate Government or local authority. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. While the RTE Act, 2009 requires the SMC to prepare a School Development Plan, the SMC Guidelines, 2026 specify it as a three-year plan with three annual sub-plans.
2. The requirement that at least fifty per cent of the members of the SMC shall be women, prescribed under the RTE framework, has been retained under the SMC Guidelines, 2026.
3. Unlike the RTE Act, 2009, the SMC Guidelines, 2026 for the first time empower the SMC to monitor the utilisation of grants received from the appropriate Government or local authority.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3