Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at improving the condition of government schools in villages, urging village leaders, parents and local communities to take greater responsibility for providing children with basic educational facilities.
Dipke announced the initiative ahead of Independence Day, calling on people across the country to make the improvement of rural government schools a priority. He said the campaign would focus on ensuring that children in villages have access to essential infrastructure and facilities that are often taken for granted in urban schools.
The initiative is scheduled to receive a wider public push on August 15, when Dipke has asked people to take a pledge to work towards improving government schools in their respective villages.
Focus on basic facilities in rural schools
In a video message, Dipke raised concerns over the condition of government schools in several villages and argued that rural education infrastructure has not received adequate attention over the decades.
He questioned why major public infrastructure projects could be undertaken while many village schools continue to struggle with basic requirements.
Dipke particularly highlighted the differences between educational facilities available to children in cities and those accessible to children from rural and farming communities. He questioned whether children of farmers and labourers should have fewer educational opportunities simply because they live in villages.
According to him, many children in rural areas continue to face difficulties reaching schools, while some schools lack reliable access to drinking water, electricity and proper washroom facilities.
He also pointed to the difficulties faced by girl students when schools do not have adequate sanitation facilities. Dipke said improving these conditions should be treated as an immediate priority as the country prepares to mark another Independence Day.
Appeal to sarpanches to take action
As part of the campaign, Dipke said he would personally visit his village, Hingoli in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, and approach the local sarpanch with a request to improve government schools in the area.
He appealed to village heads across the country to undertake similar efforts and work with local communities to address infrastructure gaps in government schools.
Dipke said initiatives taken by individual village leaders could encourage neighbouring villages to follow the same path. He also indicated that contributions made by village heads would be highlighted through the CJP’s social media platforms, including visuals and recognition of their work.
The campaign therefore seeks to encourage local action rather than relying solely on government authorities to address every issue related to school infrastructure.
Parents urged to conduct social audits
A major part of the campaign involves encouraging parents to examine the actual condition of the schools attended by their children.
Dipke asked parents to conduct what he described as a “social audit” of schools by checking whether essential facilities are available and functioning properly.
Among the issues parents have been encouraged to examine are:
- Availability of electricity
- Access to clean drinking water
- Proper washroom facilities
- Provision of midday meals
- Overall school infrastructure and basic amenities
He also urged parents to document shortcomings through photographs or videos when necessary so that problems can be brought to public attention.
The campaign plans to introduce a form through which parents can provide information about the condition and infrastructure of their children’s schools. The form is expected to allow communities to record specific deficiencies and share details about facilities available at local government schools.
‘One village can inspire another’
Dipke has presented the campaign as a collective effort involving parents, village leaders and members of local communities.
The central idea is that improvements made by one village could motivate others to take similar steps. Rather than treating rural school infrastructure as an issue limited to government departments, the campaign seeks to create greater community participation.
Dipke has argued that improving schools should be viewed as an investment in India’s future, particularly because a large number of children in rural areas depend on government institutions for their education.
He has also emphasised that children should not be disadvantaged because of their place of residence or the economic background of their families.
Education becomes CJP’s first public outreach focus
The school campaign comes as the CJP movement broadens its activities beyond its earlier protests and student-related campaigns.
The organisation began as an online satirical platform before developing into a broader youth-oriented movement. It later gained national attention through protests concerning students affected by the NEET examination paper-leak controversy.
The movement staged a prolonged protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, with students and parents participating. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the agitation and subsequently became associated with the movement’s wider youth-focused activities.
Following the conclusion of the protest, questions emerged about the future direction of the CJP movement. A subsequent strategy meeting in Maharashtra resulted in a decision to continue the organisation as a youth movement, with Wangchuk serving as a mentor.
The latest school initiative is part of that broader transition.
‘Kya Bolti Public’ campaign also focuses on public concerns
Earlier, Dipke announced a nationwide public outreach initiative called “Kya Bolti Public”, intended to understand issues affecting people across different parts of the country.
Education was identified as the campaign’s initial area of focus, making government-school infrastructure one of the first major issues to be taken up.
Dipke has also called for greater engagement between India’s political leadership and young people, including urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the country’s youth in his Independence Day speech.
The new campaign places rural education at the centre of CJP’s latest public outreach efforts and seeks to bring local communities into discussions about school infrastructure.
Why rural school infrastructure remains important
Government schools play a crucial role in providing education to children from economically weaker sections and rural communities. For many families, these institutions are the most accessible and affordable route to formal education.
However, inadequate infrastructure can affect attendance, learning conditions and the overall experience of students. Issues such as insufficient sanitation, unreliable electricity, lack of drinking water and inadequate school buildings can create additional challenges for children and teachers.
The concerns raised by Dipke therefore go beyond the physical condition of school buildings. They also touch upon questions of equality in education and whether children living in rural areas receive the same basic opportunities as those studying in urban centres.
The campaign’s emphasis on parents and village leaders reflects an attempt to increase community-level monitoring of schools and encourage local stakeholders to participate in solving infrastructure problems.
With Independence Day approaching, Dipke has called on citizens to make the improvement of government schools a collective commitment. The campaign aims to turn that appeal into local action by encouraging villages to identify shortcomings, document them and work towards practical improvements.
For the CJP movement, the initiative marks a renewed focus on education and youth issues, while placing rural school infrastructure at the centre of its latest nationwide outreach effort.