The elephant in the classroom

‘Hopefully, the audit of government schools initiated by the CJP will help to identify the underlying structural failures’ | Photo Credit: X/@abhijeet_dipke The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has done us all a good turn by drawing attention to the dismal state of school facilities in large parts of the country. Even the modest norms of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (better known as the Right to Education Act or the RTE Act) are yet to be met in a large number of schools. Contrary to the impression given by official statistics, such as the Unified District Information System for Education, India’s schools are still rife with leaky roofs, clogged toilets, broken handpumps and missing playgrounds.Hopefully, the audit of government schools initiated by the CJP will help to identify the underlying structural failures. It is not just a question of spending levels. More importantly perhaps, corrupt contractors have been allowed to make plenty of money from shoddy work. Further, no effective systems are in place to ensure regular repair and maintenance of school facilities. In Jharkhand, even the small school funds normally available for this purpose have been discontinued in the last two years, making it difficult to deal with the simplest of maintenance problems such as buying mops and brooms. CJP’s government school campaign triggers FIRs in Maharashtra, Rajasthan CJP’s government school campaign triggers FIRs in Maharashtra, Rajasthan | Video Credit: The Hindu Published - November 04, 2026 01:10 am IST