CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday launched the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign from his native village of Santuk Pimpri in Hingoli district, calling for a nationwide social audit of government schools in rural areas.In a video he posted as part of his first school audit, Dipke could be seen speaking to young girls and seeking their feedback on the school’s amenities. In the video, he listed no drinking water, no benches, dirty washrooms, broken windows and inadequate water supply as some of the issues troubling the students.“Even after 80 years of Independence, our government schools still lack basic amenities,” Dipke said in a post on social media. He added that he had spoken to the village sarpanch, who assured him that the panchayat would resolve the issues within a week.Dipke said the campaign would encourage parents, residents and sarpanchs to identify shortcomings in village schools and work towards addressing them. CJP plans to make a standardised assessment form available through social media, allowing residents to report deficiencies by uploading videos.The campaign will focus on essential facilities including electricity, drinking water, separate functional toilets for boys and girls, benches and quality midday meals. Sarpanchs will also be encouraged to document improvements through before-and-after photographs and share them to encourage similar efforts elsewhere.Launching the campaign, Dipke alleged that government schools had been neglected irrespective of which political party was in power. He said people needed to question governments about the condition of schools and ensure that children in rural areas had access to a conducive learning environment.Dipke also questioned the spending on large banners put up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar during a Tiranga rally attended by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, saying the money could instead have been spent on improving schools and facilities for students.The CJP founder has in recent weeks led campaigns and protests focused on education, students and youth-related issues. The outfit was also at the forefront of the recent student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
