CJP announces nationwide campaign to improve government schools on August 15. NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced a nationwide campaign to improve government schools in villages, seeking to address the “neglect of rural educational infrastructure”.The campaign will be launched on August 15, with the CJP calling on citizens, parents and village leaders to work together to improve basic facilities in government schools.Dipke said he would launch the initiative from his village in Hingoli, Maharashtra, by approaching the village head and requesting him to take steps to improve government schools there.“The coming 15th August is our 80th Independence Day. But, if anything has been neglected or ignored the most in the last 80 years, it is the government schools in our villages,” Dipke said on Monday.“We have made a new Parliament, a new PM house. Why have we not been able to build new schools in our villages? Do we not consider the children of farmers and labourers the future of our country?” he asked.Dipke said children in villages continue to face difficulties in accessing schools and basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets.“Even today, village children have to walk a long distance to go to school. After going there, they don’t find water or toilet facilities,” he said, highlighting the difficulties faced by girls in particular.“I feel that on this 15th August, if we should pay attention to anything, if we should make a new start, we should start by improving our government schools,” he said.The ‘Sarpanch Challenge’As part of the campaign, the CJP has appealed to sarpanches across the country to take up the task of improving government schools in their respective villages.Dipke said he would personally approach the village head in Hingoli and urged other sarpanches to do the same in their villages.The organisation has termed the initiative the “Sarpanch Challenge”, under which it plans to publicly recognise village heads who improve their schools by sharing before-and-after photographs on its social media platforms and giving credit to the sarpanches concerned.“We will give you credit so that after seeing you, after seeing the schools that you have improved, many other village heads also start improving schools in their villages,” Dipke said.The CJP has also called for a citizen-led social audit of government schools.Parents whose children study in government schools have been asked to visit the institutions and check basic facilities, including electricity, clean drinking water, functional washrooms and mid-day meals.“You go to your children’s schools and see if basic facilities are available. See if there is electricity, water… Do your children get washroom facilities? Do they get mid-day meals?” Dipke said.He urged parents to record videos if basic facilities were unavailable. The CJP said it would soon issue a printable audit form through which citizens could record the facilities available at their children’s schools and those that were missing.The form will be shared through links on campaign videos on the CJP’s official social media platforms and completed forms and video evidence can be emailed to the organisation.The campaign aims to ensure that children of farmers and wage labourers studying in village schools have access to facilities comparable to those available to children in cities.“If not, you make videos of it. Because your children’s schooling should be good. That is your fundamental right,” Dipke said.“Let us all make a promise to the children who live in villages that we will improve their schools. Together, we can do this,” he said, concluding his video with the message, “Real India lives in villages”.CJP backs Jharkhand protestsIn a separate video, Dipke also extended his support to Jharkhand student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who was hospitalised after his health deteriorated during a hunger strike over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.Calling the alleged police action against protesters “cruel and inhuman”, Dipke drew a parallel with student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. “Be it Jantar Mantar or Jharkhand, such police brutality against students is cruel and inhuman,” he said.“CJP stands firmly with Devendra bhai and his struggle. He is a true hero. We salute his courage and strength!” he added.Mahto has been at the centre of the ongoing JPSC-JSSC agitation in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. He had been on an indefinite hunger strike and joined the students’ Vidhan Sabha gherao march on Monday, arriving at the protest in an ambulance as his health deteriorated.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe CJP, which began as an online satirical platform, later took its campaign to the streets. Its 36-day agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against examination irregularities was called off on July 25 following the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosCJP Core Committee Dispute: Two Youths On Hunger Strike In Abhijit Dipke’s Hometown Hospitalised‘Only Dialogue Can Solve This’: Rahul Gandhi Backs Peaceful Jharkhand Student Protest | WatchJharkhand Students Storm Assembly Gates Amid Tear Gas, Lathicharge As ED Probe Intensifies Exam RowBihar Man Posed As IAS Officer, Claimed Doval Link; Police Seize Tesla, SUV And Imported Liquor’Mujhe Narendra Naam Se Nafrat Ho Gayi Hai’: PM Modi Interacts With India’s CWG Champions | Watch109 Years Later, MP Man Gets U.K. Response On War Loan ClaimSupriya Sule Says No Politics In PM Modi Meet As NCP-SP MPs Raise Maharashtra’s Key Demands‘Hitting Us On Head, Face’: Police Lathi-Charge Students During Assembly Gherao March In JharkhandModi Govt Going Slow On FCRA Bill To Woo Stalin’s DMK, Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP For Delimitation?Jharkhand Showdown: Protesters Set To Gherao State Assembly; Demand JSSC-CGL Cancellation, CBI Probe123Photostories5 yoga positions that can undo hours of sitting“Everything is in a state of flux”: Sadhguru explains why these two times of day are special for yogaWhen Ankita Lokhande Recalled Her Pavitra Rishta Days: From not going home for 3 months, taking showers on set to washing and rewearing the same undergarmentsPrincess Diana to Grace Kelly: Popular fashion muses behind luxury’s most iconic handbags”… served non-stop with coconut chutney and a tub of…”: Vicky Kaushal on his go-to me-time meal beyond parathas; recipes inside10 beautiful baby names that mean “blessing from God”Optical illusions and personality test: What you spot first reveals your hidden personality traitsWhat happens when you consume Tulsi leaves daily? 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NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced a nationwide campaign to improve government schools in villages, seeking to address the “neglect of rural educational infrastructure”.The campaign will be launched on August 15, with the CJP calling on citizens, parents and village leaders to work together to improve basic facilities in government schools.Dipke said he would launch the initiative from his village in Hingoli, Maharashtra, by approaching the village head and requesting him to take steps to improve government schools there.“The coming 15th August is our 80th Independence Day. But, if anything has been neglected or ignored the most in the last 80 years, it is the government schools in our villages,” Dipke said on Monday.“We have made a new Parliament, a new PM house. Why have we not been able to build new schools in our villages? Do we not consider the children of farmers and labourers the future of our country?” he asked.Dipke said children in villages continue to face difficulties in accessing schools and basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets.“Even today, village children have to walk a long distance to go to school. After going there, they don’t find water or toilet facilities,” he said, highlighting the difficulties faced by girls in particular.“I feel that on this 15th August, if we should pay attention to anything, if we should make a new start, we should start by improving our government schools,” he said.The ‘Sarpanch Challenge’As part of the campaign, the CJP has appealed to sarpanches across the country to take up the task of improving government schools in their respective villages.Dipke said he would personally approach the village head in Hingoli and urged other sarpanches to do the same in their villages.The organisation has termed the initiative the “Sarpanch Challenge”, under which it plans to publicly recognise village heads who improve their schools by sharing before-and-after photographs on its social media platforms and giving credit to the sarpanches concerned.“We will give you credit so that after seeing you, after seeing the schools that you have improved, many other village heads also start improving schools in their villages,” Dipke said.The CJP has also called for a citizen-led social audit of government schools.Parents whose children study in government schools have been asked to visit the institutions and check basic facilities, including electricity, clean drinking water, functional washrooms and mid-day meals.“You go to your children’s schools and see if basic facilities are available. See if there is electricity, water… Do your children get washroom facilities? Do they get mid-day meals?” Dipke said.He urged parents to record videos if basic facilities were unavailable. The CJP said it would soon issue a printable audit form through which citizens could record the facilities available at their children’s schools and those that were missing.The form will be shared through links on campaign videos on the CJP’s official social media platforms and completed forms and video evidence can be emailed to the organisation.The campaign aims to ensure that children of farmers and wage labourers studying in village schools have access to facilities comparable to those available to children in cities.“If not, you make videos of it. Because your children’s schooling should be good. That is your fundamental right,” Dipke said.“Let us all make a promise to the children who live in villages that we will improve their schools. Together, we can do this,” he said, concluding his video with the message, “Real India lives in villages”.CJP backs Jharkhand protestsIn a separate video, Dipke also extended his support to Jharkhand student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who was hospitalised after his health deteriorated during a hunger strike over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.Calling the alleged police action against protesters “cruel and inhuman”, Dipke drew a parallel with student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. “Be it Jantar Mantar or Jharkhand, such police brutality against students is cruel and inhuman,” he said.“CJP stands firmly with Devendra bhai and his struggle. He is a true hero. We salute his courage and strength!” he added.Mahto has been at the centre of the ongoing JPSC-JSSC agitation in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. He had been on an indefinite hunger strike and joined the students’ Vidhan Sabha gherao march on Monday, arriving at the protest in an ambulance as his health deteriorated.
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The CJP, which began as an online satirical platform, later took its campaign to the streets. Its 36-day agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against examination irregularities was called off on July 25 following the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.