The Cockroach Janta Party’s “School Thik Karo” campaign has put the condition of government schools back at the centre of political debate. But there is a rather obvious question that CJP needs to answer, are poor government schools a problem only when the BJP is in power?
The campaign was launched on Independence Day from Hingoli, Maharashtra, with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announcing that the organisation would visit government schools, document their condition and highlight deficiencies in basic facilities. The campaign has focused on issues such as drinking water, toilets, electricity, classrooms, boundary walls, midday meals and teacher attendance.
Since then, much of the CJP’s attention has been directed towards BJP-ruled states. Teams have visited schools in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, while the campaign has also expanded into Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-governed areas. The Rajasthan campaign, in particular, turned confrontational after a CJP team visiting a school near Jaipur was chased out by villagers.
But government schools do not magically become perfect when a non-BJP party occupies the chief minister’s chair.
States governed by parties associated with the INDIA bloc also have millions of children studying in government schools. They too face challenges involving infrastructure, teacher vacancies, sanitation, learning outcomes, attendance and access to basic facilities. However, CJP volunteers don’t seem to want to visit or audit any of those schools.
That raises an uncomfortable question about the campaign’s priorities, and makes one wonder if CJP actually wants to improve facilities in schools or is just running a political campaign?
