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Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday said Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse should resign, claiming government schools are in a pitiable condition and that even "ministers' dogs get better facilities" than students.
Dipke, whose group launched the 'School Thik Karo' (improve government schools) campaign last week, visited a Zilla Parishad school at Ujani village in Latur's Ausa tehsil.
Later, talking to reporters, he said elected representatives and ministers must be held accountable for the condition of schools, many of which continue to lack basic facilities such as proper classrooms, benches, toilets and safe access roads.
Students in some schools were being treated "worse than animals", he alleged.
"It is a question of students' lives. When political leaders are not doing anything for students, why should people vote for them? Do people vote for them so that they can only travel in helicopters? People should see in what conditions their children are studying. The dogs of these ministers get better facilities than this," he said.
Dipke also asked people to force the leaders of political parties to work for education first and then come to seek votes.
"People should also tell the leaders coming to their village, irrespective of political parties, to work for education. Tell them not to come for votes at our doorstep till they work for education. For politics, we come out of our homes with flags of caste and community. Similarly, we should come out for the schools of our children," he added.
"These people keep saying that religion is in danger. The religion did not end in so many years, and it is coming to an end in your tenure? The religion will not go anywhere, but the future of kids can get affected," he claimed.
Dipke said ministers and MLAs should send their own children to government schools to understand the problems faced by students there, he said.
Asked whether Dada Bhuse should continue as school education minister, he said, "The condition of schools makes me feel that the education minister should not continue in the post. If the government wants to understand the urgency of improving government schools, ministers and elected representatives should send their own children to study in these schools." Despite being in power for several years, the ruling dispensation had failed to bring about substantial changes in government schools, Dipke charged.
"Students are still studying in schools with leaking tin roofs and without adequate benches. If these basic problems could not be resolved in 10 years, the government must explain what it has achieved," he said.
The CJP and local residents would raise their voice collectively over the problems affecting schools and press the government to provide safe transport facilities to students who have to walk several kilometres to school, he said.
Referring to reports of children allegedly dying of snakebites in schools, Dipke said such incidents exposed the failure of the authorities to ensure safe access to education.
He also expressed concern over unhygienic conditions at the school inspected here earlier by the CJP team, alleging that accumulated scrap and garbage behind the premises had created conditions conducive to the presence of snakes.
Dipke said the CJP's inspections had already prompted authorities to begin some work in schools.
Public participation was essential to strengthen democracy, he said.
"People have begun finding their voice again. More organisations and movements should emerge in a democracy. The more people come forward and speak, the stronger our democracy will become," he said.
Commenting on the concerns of Gen Z, Dipke said young people would form a significant electoral force by the 2029 elections and political parties would have to address their issues.
The government must also work for the younger generation currently studying in schools, he said, warning that young voters would hold governments accountable if their concerns were ignored.
To a query, Dipke said widespread protests could emerge across villages if the government failed to improve the condition of public schools.
Meanwhile, on the CBI probe into the Neet paper leak case in Latur, Dipke alleged that the investigation appeared to be focused on lower-level accused while attempts were being made to shield bigger persons.
"It is difficult to believe that such a case could have taken place without the involvement of senior officials in the system. Merely arresting a few lower-level persons and claiming action is not enough," he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
