School committee composition: Exploring the role of parental and female representation in India

Abstract

SummaryMotivationThe adoption of school‐based management (SBM) reforms has led to the formation of local‐level school committees in many low‐ and middle‐income countries. These committees are usually created with the stated aim of giving parents or local community members a greater say in school management. Various studies have, however, highlighted difficulties with parental and female participation, casting doubt on the extent to which greater community representation improves school management.PurposeThe article examines empirically whether greater parental and female representation in Indian school management committees (SMCs) is associated with school improvement as measured by increases in the school‐level provision of basic infrastructure and services.Methods and approachFixed‐effects regression models are estimated using school‐level panel data.FindingsI find that increased parental representation is not associated with improvements in school infrastructure/service provision. Rather, what contributes strongly to improved outcomes is increased representation of elected local authority members. Overall, schools with female‐majority SMCs also perform better.Policy implicationsWhile the requirement for Indian SMCs to include representation from local government appears to be an effective feature of their composition, there is a need for capacity‐building efforts to ensure that parent members also contribute effectively to school management. SMCs should also be encouraged to meet the female representation quota, as the analysis suggests a positive association between female representation and school outcomes.