Jaipur: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka has challenged Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar to showcase ten of the best government schools developed during his tenure, saying he and his team would visit and inspect them. Ranka’s remarks have brought the spotlight back on the condition of government schools and the wider debate over education infrastructure in Rajasthan.
Ranka’s challenge comes as part of the CJP’s ongoing “School Thik Karo” campaign, through which the organisation has been raising concerns about infrastructure and other problems in government schools. He has asked the Education Minister to identify ten institutions that, according to the government, represent the best work carried out during Dilawar’s tenure.
Ranka said that once he returns from Bengal, his team would inspect the schools identified by the minister. The challenge is aimed at testing the government’s claims about improvements in the state’s education system on the ground.
The latest confrontation follows Ranka’s recent involvement in education-related protests in Rajasthan. Earlier this month, he participated in a campaign over the condition of a school in Jodhwas village in Alwar district. The protest focused on the poor condition of the school building and concerns raised by students and local residents. The agitation eventually led the Rajasthan government to accept demands related to the school, according to reports.
Ranka has also been vocal about problems at Rajasthan University. In July, he gave the state government three months to address several student-related issues, including irregular classes, delays in the semester system, shortage of teachers, inadequate infrastructure and delays in the revaluation of answer sheets.
The CJP spokesperson has increasingly focused on education issues across states following the organisation’s prolonged campaign over student concerns. Ranka has previously said that the group plans to visit states where students continue to face long-standing problems in the education system.
The latest challenge to Dilawar therefore comes amid growing political and public scrutiny of Rajasthan’s government education system. Whether the Education Minister accepts Ranka’s challenge and identifies ten schools for inspection could provide another flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the quality of education infrastructure in the state.
