Key facts
- Many government schools in India, particularly in rural areas, are in disrepair with issues like broken toilets and leaking roofs.
- India's education spending at 4.1% of GDP falls short of the recommended 6%.
- The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has launched a campaign, #SchoolThikKaro, to draw attention to these infrastructure problems.
- Students are actively sharing videos of poor school conditions on social media, leading to some localized improvements.
- A shortage of teachers and their deployment for non-teaching duties are major challenges affecting education quality.
Many government-run schools in India, particularly in rural areas, are in a state of disrepair, characterized by broken toilets, leaking roofs, and crumbling infrastructure. A Faridabad school, for instance, has unusable toilets and abandoned classrooms due to safety concerns and flooding during rains. This situation is not isolated, as many schools lack basic facilities. India's spending on education, at 4.1% of its GDP, falls below the recommended 6% and is lower than many other countries. Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, approximately 94,000 government schools have closed, with some merged and others seeing declining enrollment due to increased demand for private schools.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical political movement, has launched a campaign named #SchoolThikKaro (#FixTheSchool) to address these issues and pressure authorities. The CJP gained prominence for its protest that led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following a medical entrance exam scandal. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has documented the poor conditions in over 20 rural schools, noting the absence of basic amenities like benches, bathrooms, and drinking water. He stated that children in villages lack equal opportunities compared to those in cities due to these neglected facilities.
Students themselves are now actively participating by sharing videos of their schools' poor conditions on social media, some of which have gone viral and prompted local action. For example, videos of schoolgirls in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh highlighting road and school conditions have led to repairs and demands for better facilities. A significant challenge highlighted by teachers is the lack of adequate teaching staff, as educators are often deployed for non-teaching duties such as election work and census collection, impacting the quality of education. Experts believe the #FixTheSchool campaign is gaining momentum and could evolve into a sustained movement for educational reform.