‘How can any kid use this toilet?’: Dipke launches ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, inspects govt school in Maharashtra
Theindiapostdaily.com – Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday launched the 'School Thik Karo' campaign from his native village of Santuk Pimpri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, calling for a nationwide social audit of government schools and better basic facilities for students.Dipke inspected a Zilla Parishad school in the village after attending an Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony. During the visit, he alleged that the school lacked adequate basic infrastructure, including drinking water and functional toilets.He also flagged broken windows and a shortage of benches for students."If basic things like water are missing from government-run schools even 80 years after India became independent, how is the country going to develop?" Dipke told reporters, according to PTI.In a video posted on social media, Dipke was seen interacting with students and asking them about facilities at the school. He listed the lack of drinking water, inadequate benches, dirty washrooms, broken windows and insufficient water supply among the problems highlighted during the inspection.Dipke also shared visuals of a school toilet and questioned its condition, asking, "How is any kid supposed to use this toilet?"He said the village sarpanch had assured him that the problems would be addressed within a week.
What is 'School Thik Karo' campaign?Dipke said the campaign would involve collecting information on basic facilities in government schools across Maharashtra and other parts of the country.The CJP plans to provide a standardised assessment form through social media, allowing parents and residents to report deficiencies by uploading videos and other information about schools.The proposed checklist will cover facilities such as electricity, drinking water, separate functional toilets for boys and girls, benches and the quality of midday meals.Dipke said parents, residents and sarpanchs would be encouraged to identify shortcomings and work towards addressing them. Sarpanchs would also be encouraged to document improvements through before-and-after photographs and share them to encourage similar efforts elsewhere.He said he would visit government schools in other talukas of Maharashtra in the next phase of the campaign. Dipke raises questions over government school infrastructureDipke alleged that government schools had been neglected by successive governments and said people should question authorities over the use of public funds.He claimed that more than 94,000 government schools had been shut across India over the past decade and questioned how the education system could be strengthened if schools were being closed.He also alleged that rural students face difficulties in accessing schools because of poor roads and lack basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets."There should be freedom of equal opportunities.
Until equal opportunity is available, we cannot say that our country is developing," he said.Dipke also questioned expenditure on large banners put up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar during a Tiranga rally attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, arguing that such money could instead have been used to improve schools.CJP to raise public healthcare issuesDipke said the campaign would not be limited to education and that the CJP would also launch a similar campaign highlighting problems in government hospitals.He alleged that patients at public hospitals sometimes have to sleep on floors and face long waits for surgeries and diagnostic tests.The CJP founder also called for regulation of private school fees, claiming that some families pay between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh for education."People are paying ₹1-1.5 lakh in fees. How will poor children get education? Therefore, fees of private schools should be capped," he said.The CJP came to prominence after it led a protest against the alleged irregularities in NEET exam at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The protest culminated in the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
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