DEHRADUN: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has recently sought to expand its footprint beyond student politics, has brought its “Fix the Schools” campaign to Uttarakhand, questioning the closure of 826 government primary schools in the state over the past five years.
The party has given the state government 10 days to issue a detailed explanation and an education road map, warning that it will launch a peaceful agitation after October 2 if its demands are not addressed.
CJP North Zone coordinator Shreshtha Singh on Sunday alleged that school closures had continued even as teaching posts remained vacant and infrastructure was missing in hundreds of institutions, especially in the hills.
“In the past five years, 826 primary schools have been shut in Uttarakhand, while teachers’ posts continue to lie vacant. As many as 270 schools do not even have drinking water,” Singh said. “In several hill districts, children still lack adequate teachers and essential facilities.”
He also flagged the disparity in infrastructure between government and private schools, arguing that students in the public system should not be denied safe buildings, electricity, functional toilets or reliable access to drinking water.
The CJP demanded that the government publish a school-wise report detailing enrolment, teacher strength, available facilities, reasons for closure, the population around each institution and the distance to the nearest alternative school.
It also sought a district-wise Uttarakhand Education Road Map within 10 days, with clear deadlines for filling teachers’ posts and providing drinking water, toilets, electricity, safe buildings and other essential amenities.
The party called for basic transport support for government-school students, especially those in mountainous and remote areas. It said safe school buses, minibuses or another regular transport arrangement should be introduced wherever distance and terrain make daily travel difficult.
“If the government fails to explain why these schools were closed, we may also demand Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat’s resignation after the 10-day deadline,” Singh said. “If no clear road map and time-bound action plan are released, democratic protests will be organised across Uttarakhand.”
The party said any agitation would remain peaceful and would focus on accountability, reopening viable schools and ensuring that children in remote communities were not forced to abandon education because of staff shortages, poor infrastructure or long journeys.
CJP leaders said the campaign, which gained visibility through student politics elsewhere in the country, would now seek full public participation in Uttarakhand. They maintained that consolidation of schools could not be justified without transparent data on enrolment, accessibility and the impact on children living in sparsely populated areas.
Backing the campaign, Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chhetri said the demand to revive schools was justified and deserved support across political lines.
“The CJP’s demand for the revival of schools is entirely legitimate,” Chhetri said. “We support every genuine demand raised by any political party or organisation seeking to improve school education and the condition of schools in Uttarakhand.”