KOTA: A day after a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) team was allegedly chased away by locals while attempting to inspect a government school in Jaipur, a teachers’ body on Saturday said educational institutions in Rajasthan should not be turned into “pitches of political conflict”.The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) said it was not defending the state government, but opposing what it called the “politicizing” of school premises for political purposes.Taking a firm position against political interference following Friday’s confrontation in Jaipur, the teachers’ federation said members of the public could visit a school only after obtaining formal permission from the institution head. It also said using administrative orders as political leverage or putting pressure on teachers was unacceptable.The CJP team had visited Rampura Kanwarpura village on Friday to inspect the condition of a government school, which it alleged was being run from a buffalo shed.A confrontation subsequently broke out with local residents, whom the CJP accused of being “BJP goons”.On Saturday, both the CJP and villagers filed FIRs and counter-FIRs, accusing each other of assault and creating a ruckus.Speaking at a press conference in Kota, ABRSM state vice president Puranmal Nagar said the attempted inspection by “external political workers” had led to strong opposition from villagers and escalated into verbal arguments and physical scuffles.While saying the federation did not support violence under any circumstances, Nagar questioned the need to involve school premises in what he described as biased disputes.He said genuine concerns about school infrastructure or administrative shortcomings should be raised through designated channels within the education department and state administration.Navalkishore Sharma, vice president of ABRSM’s primary education wing, said the state government and education department were undertaking reforms in phases to improve school infrastructure.He said members of the public could visit schools after obtaining permission from the institution head, and that using administrative orders as political leverage or pressuring teachers was unacceptable.“Teachers exist to shape the future of students, not to advance the agenda of any political organization,” Sharma said.SureshKumar Bairagi of the ABRSM state media cell appealed to teachers, parents, villagers and public representatives to maintain peace and resolve disputes through proper legal and administrative channels.He said ABRSM-associated teacher activists across 10,000 government schools in Rajasthan were working on the ground to improve physical and educational resources.Responding to questions, Bairagi said the organisation regularly identifies gaps in study and infrastructure facilities and submits representations to the government for their resolution.“ABRSM is not here to defend the government or the minister, but to raise its voice against politicizing school grounds for political motives,” Bairagi said.He added that the recent order restricting the entry of outsiders into school premises also applies to the media.(With PTI inputs)
