Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced a nationwide “School Thik Karo” campaign, to be launched on August 15, aimed at improving basic facilities and accessibility in government schools across rural India.
Dipke said children in villages should not have to “plead for basic facilities at school” after 80 years of Independence and urged parents, sarpanches and citizens to take responsibility for local schools. The campaign comes as a group of schoolchildren in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, recently marched to the district collectorate demanding a proper road to their school after monsoon rains turned their route into mud.
The administration has said a permanent road proposal is being pursued. The initiative marks CJP’s shift from its earlier protests over examination irregularities towards broader education and grassroots public issues.
While India has made progress on school infrastructure, national averages do not necessarily capture local gaps in access, maintenance and learning conditions. CJP’s challenge now is to convert its campaign from a social-media call into measurable improvements on the ground.
From Basic Needs To Action
Dipke announced the campaign earlier this week and revealed its name on Wednesday, saying it would begin from his village in Hingoli, Maharashtra. In a video message, he questioned why children in rural areas continue to struggle with basic facilities that are more readily available in cities.
He specifically pointed to the difficulties faced by girls when schools lack functional toilets, water and safe access. CJP is also calling on sarpanches to take ownership of school improvement through a proposed “Sarpanch Challenge”, while parents are being encouraged to inspect schools and raise concerns over facilities such as electricity, drinking water, toilets and meals.
The campaign’s timing has gained added relevance after hundreds of children in Hamirpur marched nearly 5 km carrying the national flag and demanded a paved road connecting their settlements to school. Reports said the route becomes difficult to cross during the monsoon, affecting children’s ability to attend classes and residents’ access to healthcare.
Local officials intervened at the collectorate, while the administration said a permanent solution was being pursued. The incident has given a human face to the broader question Dipke is raising: access to education cannot depend solely on whether a school building exists.
Beyond Buildings, Better Learning
India’s school system has made significant progress in basic infrastructure. UDISE+ 2024-25 data record more than 14.7 lakh schools nationally, with electricity and drinking-water coverage reaching high levels. However, infrastructure figures should not be mistaken for universal access to quality education.
The condition of roads leading to schools, the functionality of facilities, teacher availability, classroom conditions and actual learning outcomes all affect whether children receive meaningful education. The ASER 2024 survey found that rural learning levels have recovered substantially from pandemic-era losses, but significant gaps remain.
In government schools, only 23.4% of Class 3 children could read a Class 2-level text in 2024, although this was an improvement from 16.3% in 2022. The wider CJP campaign follows months of youth mobilisation around education.
The group’s protests over examination irregularities culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25, after negotiations between the government and CJP. CJP subsequently began repositioning itself as a broader public pressure group, announcing the “Kya Bolti Public” outreach campaign to engage citizens on education, employment and governance.
“School Thik Karo” therefore represents a move from demanding accountability in examinations to focusing on the everyday realities of children who rely on government schools.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
A child’s right to education should not end at enrolment. Whether that child lives in a major city or a remote village, reaching school safely, having access to clean water and sanitation, learning in a functional classroom and being taught properly should be treated as basic expectations, not privileges. At the same time, improving rural education cannot become a blame game between governments, panchayats, parents or communities.
It requires cooperation between local administrations, teachers, parents, elected representatives and citizens, with transparent monitoring of public money and outcomes. CJP’s campaign can be constructive if it focuses on documented problems, engages officials respectfully and measures whether promised improvements actually happen.
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