CJP seeks 5-year data from states on govt school gaps

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday wrote to education ministers of all states seeking detailed data on government school infrastructure, teacher vacancies and funding over the past five years, as part of its ongoing campaign highlighting deficiencies in public education.

In identical letters, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said visuals from government schools circulating on social media showed children studying without basic facilities such as safe drinking water, functional toilets, proper classrooms and benches.

“It has been 80 years since India gained Independence... No child in this country should be forced to study in such conditions. They are being treated worse than animals,” Dipke wrote.

The CJP has in recent weeks focused its campaign on the condition of government schools, highlighting dilapidated buildings and inadequate infrastructure on social media and calling for increased public spending on education.

The campaign has also led to confrontations on the ground. A CJP team, including co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, was allegedly assaulted during a recent visit to a government school in Rajasthan. The CJP alleged that BJP workers were behind the attack, a charge disputed by the BJP. Cross FIRs were subsequently registered in connection with the incident.

CJP seeks five-year infrastructure data

In its latest letters, the CJP has asked state governments to provide details of the number of government schools renovated during the past five years and the number that still require repairs or complete renovation.

The organisation has also sought state-wise figures on sanctioned, filled and vacant teaching positions in government schools.

It has asked governments to disclose the funds allocated to government schools over the past five years and the amount actually spent during the period.

The CJP also wants states to provide estimates of the additional number of government schools required to ensure reasonable access to quality education.

Another issue raised by the organisation is the use of teachers for non-teaching responsibilities. It has sought details of the non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers.

Questions on basic facilities

The letters also seek information on the availability of computers and digital-learning facilities in government schools.

The CJP has asked states to provide data on schools with adequate and functional toilets, access to clean drinking water and proper sports facilities and equipment.

The organisation has urged education departments to make the information public and take what it described as urgent steps to address infrastructure deficiencies.

“This is not about politics or any one government. This is about the future of our children,” Dipke said.

“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 added.

The CJP has called for improvements in government school infrastructure to be undertaken on a “war footing”, arguing that access to basic facilities and quality education should not depend on a child's economic or geographical background.