Latur, Aug 20: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke has alleged serious irregularities at a Zilla Parishad Primary School in Ausa in Latur district, claiming that bogus students were made to sit in classrooms during his inspection on Thursday and liquor bottles were found on the school premises.
Dipke visited the school as part of his party’s 'School Theek Karo’ campaign, launched to highlight the alleged poor condition of government schools in the state. He claimed that the inspection revealed a disturbing state of affairs, including inadequate basic facilities, lack of drinking water and poor sanitation.
Allegations over school conditions
Dipke said that toilets at the school were cleaned shortly before his arrival, while the school premises had also been cleaned only a day earlier. He further alleged that photographs taken during the visit indicated that illegal activities were taking place within the school compound, where liquor bottles were also found.
The CJP chief claimed that some students seated in the classrooms were not genuine students of the school. When he questioned a teacher holding additional charge in the absence of the headmaster about the alleged bogus students, the teacher reportedly said he did not know who had brought them and made them sit in the classroom.
Dipke said rainwater-damaged and damp walls, lack of clean drinking water and inadequate sanitation facilities were among the problems noticed during the visit.
Equal opportunities for students
"The government has failed to provide adequate facilities in government schools, and students are not getting equal opportunities. Until every child gets equal opportunity, we cannot claim that the country is truly developing,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the government and the administration over the condition of rural schools, Dipke said the CJP was working to bring about improvements in the rural education system. He demanded better infrastructure, clean drinking water, proper toilets, sound school buildings and quality education for students in rural areas.
Demand for suspension of officers
Dipke also demanded that block education officers allegedly responsible for the poor condition of schools and remaining unavailable in the name of official tours be suspended within eight days.
