NEW DELHI — August 21, 2026: A political movement in India known for its unusual “Cockroach” identity is taking on a very serious issue: the condition of the country’s government schools.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has launched its “School Thik Karo” — or “Fix the Schools” — campaign, asking citizens, parents and local leaders to document problems inside government schools and push authorities to address them. The campaign comes as students in several parts of India have protested over poor infrastructure and basic facilities.
From Political Protest to School Reform
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has turned the party's attention toward public education after the movement gained visibility through earlier protests over alleged examination-paper leaks.
The new campaign is built around a simple idea: citizens should inspect schools, record problems and make the conditions publicly visible. CJP has encouraged parents and community members to conduct social audits covering essentials such as toilets, drinking water, electricity, classrooms and midday meals.
For American readers, the campaign is notable because it combines grassroots activism, social media and political pressure to highlight failures in public infrastructure.
Broken Toilets and Leaking Roofs
Reports from the campaign have described a wide range of problems, including dirty or unusable toilets, broken taps, inadequate drinking water, damaged classrooms, missing desks and leaking roofs.
A recent investigation by Scroll found significant differences between official school data and conditions described by students at several schools. In one Rajasthan school, official records indicated functioning toilets and relatively limited repair needs, while students reported a collapsed roof, overcrowded classrooms, poor toilets and unreliable electricity.
Other inspections have produced similar concerns. In Maharashtra, CJP activists reported schools with broken classroom and toilet doors, missing water taps and other basic infrastructure problems.
Why the Campaign Is Gaining Attention
India has invested heavily in expanding access to education, but activists argue that access alone is not enough if students are learning in unsafe or poorly maintained buildings.
CJP's campaign is attempting to shift the conversation from enrollment statistics to the everyday experience of children inside classrooms.
The movement has also attracted attention because of its unusual strategy: instead of relying only on traditional political rallies, supporters are being encouraged to use photographs and videos to document school conditions and share them online.
Government Data vs. Ground Reality
One of the biggest issues raised by activists is the difference between official records and what students say they experience.
Scroll reported that government data indicates very high access to toilets and drinking water across India's government schools, while evidence from several recent student protests showed that facilities may be unusable, poorly maintained or insufficient in practice.
That distinction matters. A school may technically have a toilet or water connection, but students still face problems if the toilet is locked, dirty, lacks water or cannot be safely used.
Rajasthan Restricts Outside Access
The campaign has also triggered a political dispute in Rajasthan. Authorities recently restricted outsiders from entering government school campuses without prior permission, shortly after CJP announced plans for school inspections.
CJP criticized the decision, arguing that restrictions could reduce public scrutiny of school conditions. Officials, however, have cited concerns surrounding unauthorized access and disruption at schools.
The disagreement highlights a larger question: How much access should citizens have to inspect publicly funded schools?
A Bigger Debate About India's Education System
The “School Thik Karo” campaign is arriving amid broader student activism across India. Recent protests have focused on infrastructure, teachers, transportation costs and other problems affecting students.
Whether CJP can turn its campaign into lasting improvements remains uncertain. The Rajasthan government, for example, has announced plans involving new buildings for hundreds of deteriorating schools, although officials have disputed the suggestion that the decision was directly caused by CJP pressure.
Still, the campaign has succeeded in putting a basic question back into the national conversation: What should a government school look like for the children who depend on it?
For an American audience watching India's rapidly changing political landscape, the story is less about the unusual “Cockroach” name and more about a familiar democratic challenge — whether public money translates into safe classrooms, functioning facilities and a quality education for ordinary families.
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