Abhijit Dipke Urges Politicians to Experience Rural Students' School Struggles

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke on Tuesday challenged ministers, MLAs and MPs to send their children to village schools for a day and make them walk to school like rural students. Speaking during a protest in Hingoli over school-related concerns, Dipke accused the Maharashtra government of failing to provide adequate transport facilities for children living in remote areas. He said the campaign was intended to highlight the everyday difficulties faced by students who lack basic educational infrastructure and access.

Dipke said children in remote villages often walk between 7 and 10 kilometres to attend school, with the journey becoming even harder during the monsoon. Muddy and waterlogged roads can make travelling difficult and unsafe, particularly for younger students. He questioned why authorities could arrange buses and trains for political rallies but allegedly could not provide basic transport for children travelling to schools. Dipke said the situation had remained largely unchanged for years and described it as a serious failure to address the needs of rural students.

The CJP founder launched the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign from his native village in Hingoli district last week, calling for improvements in rural and tribal schools. He said his own family had experienced similar difficulties, recalling that his siblings had walked to school when they were children. Dipke argued that the problems faced by rural students should not be viewed as distant or abstract issues because many families continue to experience them firsthand. He urged authorities to focus on practical solutions rather than limiting attention to political issues.

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Dipke also raised concerns about the safety and dignity of children studying in tribal residential schools, referring to recent student deaths in areas including Melghat in Amravati and Gadchiroli. He argued that children from tribal and economically weaker communities deserve the same protection and value as children from powerful families. “The life of a tribal child should have the same value as the life of a minister's child,” he said, stressing that access to safe and functional schools should not depend on a student's social or economic background.

He clarified that the campaign was not intended to target village sarpanches or local residents. Instead, Dipke said villagers should be involved in efforts to improve schools because they understand the challenges faced by students in their communities. He also noted that the children of sarpanches themselves often attend local schools and experience some of the same shortcomings. Dipke said the CJP would be willing to work with villagers if the government failed to address the problems, adding that local communities could play an important role in improving educational facilities.

Dipke further accused political leaders of allowing issues such as caste and religious divisions to dominate public discourse while education and employment received inadequate attention. He alleged that children of political leaders have access to better educational opportunities, including opportunities abroad, while rural, tribal and working-class children continue to struggle with basic schooling facilities. Through the ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, he said the CJP intends to keep attention focused on school infrastructure, transport, safety and equal educational opportunities for children across Maharashtra.

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