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‘New Parliament, PM house, why not…': CJP's Abhijeet Dipke launches campaign to improve govt schools in villages
Abhijeet Dipke, while announcing the initiative, also called on parents to conduct a social audit of their children's schools and check for basic facilities.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday announced a nationwide campaign to improve government schools in villages, calling on village heads and parents to take up the social and moral responsibility of enhancing the 'fundamental' facilities for children.
Dipke called on people to pledge to the cause on August 15, India's 80th Independence Day.
In a video message posted on his social media, Dipke said that government schools in villages have been "neglected and ignored" over the last 80 years, alleging that no work has been done on them.
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"We have made a new parliament, a new PM house. So why couldn't we make new schools in our villages? Do we not consider the children of farmers and labourers in our villages as the future of our country? What have we done for those children and why have we not been able to provide them with the facilities that a child gets in a big city?" Dipke questioned.
The CJP founder said that village children still have to walk long distances to attend school, adding that they don't have access to water or washroom facilities there.
"How difficult it must be for small girls. So, I feel that this August 15, if we should pay attention to anything, it should be to making a new start, and we must begin by correcting our government schools," Dipke added.
'One village's move will inspire others'
He announced that he will go to his village, Hingoli, situated in Maharashtra's Marathwada region, and request the sarpanch (village head) to improve the government schools there.
Dipke also appealed to all the village heads watching his video, asking them to help improve the condition of government schools in their villages. He said that their contribution would be displayed on CJP's social media with complete credits and visuals.
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The CJP founder said that one sarpanch's initiative will inspire other villages to improve their government schools as well.
Request to parents to do social audit
Dipke also called on parents to conduct a social audit of their children's schools, requesting them to check whether basic facilities are accessible.
"See if there is electricity, if there is water, and are there washroom facilities? Do they get midday meals? And if these things aren't there, then make videos. Because your children's schooling should be good. It is the fundamental right of your children," he added.
He said that the CJP will soon release a form through which parents can share details about their children's schools and their infrastructure.
Dipke said the form would be available to print and fill out, following which parents can email it to contactcockroachjantaparty.org.
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"So, let's make a promise together, to all the children who live in the villages. Promise that we will fix their schools. We can do this together. If we all come together, work, and act, I am very sure we can fix our village schools. Because the real India lives in villages," Abhijeet Dipke said.
Abhijeet Dipke's CJP movement
What began as an online satirical platform, with Abhijeet Dipke launching the Cockroach Janta Party from the US, the movement soon gained popularity before taking its campaign to the streets, seeking justice for students affected by the NEET paper leak.
The CJP agitation gained nationwide attention, with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk also joining their 36-day protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The protest ended on July 25 after the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, fulfilling one of the protesting students' demands. Additionally, the Centre also agreed to comply with their demands.
Soon after, questions about CJP's future course of action began to do the rounds. Earlier this month, the Dipke-led movement held a two-day strategy meeting in Maharashtra, announcing that they would continue as a youth movement with Wangchuk as their mentor.
Last week, Abhijeet Dipke also announced a nationwide public outreach campaign, 'Kya Bolti Public', saying the initiative aims to understand "people's issues."
He said the campaign's first focus would be education.
Earlier, the CJP founder also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage with the country's youth with his Independence Day speech.
