The facade of progress in India's government-run education system is peeling away, revealing a reality of dilapidated classrooms, unusable facilities, and systemic neglect. From the outskirts of Delhi to rural villages, schools are falling into disrepair, with reports of flooded classrooms, crumbling ceilings, and toilets overflowing with trash.
Despite the government's own National Education Policy recommending a 6% GDP investment in education, India currently spends only 4.1%, trailing behind numerous other nations. The result is a system where 94,000 government schools have closed in the last decade, and those remaining are often little more than shells.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online activist group, has launched the #FixTheSchool campaign to force accountability upon an administration that has largely ignored the crisis. Founders of the movement have documented horrific conditions, noting that many rural schools lack basic necessities like clean water, desks, or functional bathrooms.
The rot extends beyond the physical buildings; teachers are frequently pulled from the classroom to perform non-teaching administrative tasks like census and election duty, further gutting the quality of instruction.
Critics point to a clear divide: those in power and the wealthy elites send their children to private institutions, leaving the underprivileged to rely on a state system that has failed to evolve in decades.
As viral videos of crumbling schools and frustrated students continue to circulate, the movement is emboldening citizens to demand the basic accountability that the government has failed to provide.
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