Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke has written to education ministers across all states, seeking detailed information on the condition of government schools, including infrastructure, teacher vacancies and expenditure.
The letter comes as the CJP shifts its focus to public education and calls for greater transparency on the state of government schools.
Dipke raises concerns over school infrastructure
Dipke pointed to visuals of government schools circulating on social media and said the condition of some institutions should leave citizens “deeply concerned”. He questioned how children would “study in such conditions”, while claiming they were being “treated worse than animals.”
“How can we expect our country to progress when children are still struggling for the most basic facilities required to get an education?” he asked.
He urged state governments to “improve our schools on a war footing” and called on education ministers to “treat the condition of public education as an urgent priority.”
Dipke said that despite it being “80 years since India gained Independence”, children in several government schools still lacked “safe drinking water, functional washrooms, proper classrooms, or even something as basic as benches to sit on.”
“But before we can fix the problem, the people deserve to know where we stand today. Therefore, I respectfully request your ministry to publicly provide the following information,” he said in the letter.
CJP seeks data on schools, teachers and funds
Dipke's questionnaire seeks state-wise data on the number of government schools renovated during the past five years, as well as the number that currently need repairs or complete renovation.
He has also asked education ministries to disclose the number of sanctioned teaching posts, how many are filled and how many remain vacant.
The letter seeks details of funds allocated to government schools over the past five years and the amount actually spent during the period. It also asks states to indicate how many additional government schools may be needed to ensure reasonable access to quality education for children.
Other questions cover the non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers and the availability of computers, digital learning facilities, functional toilets, sports facilities and equipment.
CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign
The CJP has launched the 'School Thik Karo' campaign, with its teams visiting government schools and conducting audits in different states.
The organisation, which had earlier focused on student protests over alleged NEET irregularities, said its latest campaign is centred on government school infrastructure.
Dipke stressed that the campaign was “not about politics or any one government", but was focused on the “future of our children.”
“Every child, irrespective of where they are born or how much their parents earn, deserves a safe classroom, clean drinking water, a functional washroom, a bench to sit on, and a teacher to teach them,” he said.
He urged state education ministries to make the requested information public and called for “urgent steps to ensure that no child is denied a dignified education because of inadequate infrastructure.”