Democratic Decentralization and the Right to Education: An Evaluative Study of  School Management Committees (SMCs) in Kurnool District

Author(s)	Dr. V.M. Rajasekhar, Dr. MALREDDY NAG ARUN
Country	India
Abstract	The Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 is not merely a legal mandate for schooling but a significant experiment in Democratic Decentralization. Section 21 of the Act mandates the creation of School Management Committees (SMCs), envisioning them as vehicles for participatory democracy where parents and local stakeholders oversee school governance. This paper critically examines the political efficacy of SMCs in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Through a Political Science lens, it analyzes whether these committees have truly empowered marginalized communities or if they have fallen prey to "elite capture" by local political leaders. The study concludes with recommendations to strengthen grassroots educational governance.
Keywords	Keywords: Democratic Decentralization, SMCs, Participatory Democracy, Local Governance, Kurnool, Political Empowerment.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-03-05
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.70674

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