JAIPUR: The Rajasthan education department Sunday evening barred outsiders from entering school premises without prior permission from the principal or head of the institution, hours after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced a statewide campaign to inspect dilapidated govt schools.The order states that only govt officials discharging official duties will be exempt from the permission requirement. Photography, videography, interviews, audio recording or live streaming involving students, teachers or school activities will also need prior clearance from the principal. Every visitor must sign the visitor’s register before entering school premises, the order added.The directive comes as CJP prepares to launch its “School Thik Karo” campaign, seeking accountability and repairs at govt schools across the state. National spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the organisation has received requests from nine districts — Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer and Hanumangarh — to inspect unsafe or poorly maintained schools, with volunteers set to visit all districts over the next two weeks.“We have received requests to inspect certain schools in these locations and raise the students’ issues as the administration is refusing to heed demands to fix the schools. Providing good education and health facilities are the basics for any state govt. If the govt is not able to provide these, then why hold the positions?” Ranka told TOI.CJP’s protest at a govt school in Thanagazi, Alwar, on Friday marked the start of the campaign, Ranka said. He noted that it has been over a year since the school collapse tragedy in Jhalawar, and the education minister has yet to share a concrete plan to fix over 80,000 classrooms in dilapidated condition across the state. The group has warned of a mass movement demanding education minister Madan Dilawar’s resignation if a plan isn’t presented in the Assembly.
