FUNCTIONING OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES (SMCS) IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF TRIBAL AREAS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH: TEACHERS’ REFLECTIONS

The present investigation was undertaken to study the reflections of elementary school teachers regarding thefunctioning of School Management Committees (SMCs) in elementary schools of tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh. For conducting this investigation, survey method was employed and a total of 181 elementary teachers were selected from 60 schools situated in two tribal districts i.e. Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal Pradesh. The data were gathered with the help of a selfdeveloped questionnaire for elementary school teachers which contained both close-ended and openended items. The data were analyzed by employing frequency count and percentage analysis. It was pointed out by elementary school teachers that the SMC members are moderately aware about their role and responsibilities and was not much enthusiastic for participating in various school affairs. The SMCs in elementary schools of tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh have been rated by teachers as moderately effective to less effective in terms of different educational aspects which has been explained in detail in this paper. In the last section of the paper, the findings have been discussed and recommendations have been made for improving the functioning of SMCs in tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh.