Nagpur – In a press briefing, Abhijit Deepke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), lambasted successive governments for allowing tribal schools to fall into disrepair and for the chronic administrative indifference that has plagued these institutions for decades.
Deepke disclosed that the CJP will roll out a ‘Fix Tribal Schools’ initiative on September 17, kicking off from Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. The drive intends to shine a light on tribal pupils’ right to education, the glaring lack of basic facilities, and the bureaucratic hurdles they confront.
As part of the effort, party cadres will travel to schools in predominantly tribal regions to verify on‑the‑ground conditions and document infrastructural shortcomings. This follows the party’s earlier ‘Fix Schools’ campaign, which targeted the broader network of government schools.
He questioned the spending priorities of political parties, noting that while they allocate massive sums to build party offices, they repeatedly claim there is no budget for tribal residential schools.
Deepke also challenged the narrative of nationwide economic growth, insisting that any gains must translate into tangible benefits for tribal communities. He cited data indicating that more than 590 tribal students have died in Maharashtra over the past two years, including several tragic snake‑bite incidents, and that over 30 children have perished in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, within the last two months.
Regarding compensation, Deepke accused state governments of offering meagre settlements that fall short of providing dignity and adequate support to grieving families.
He highlighted that out of the 720 Eklavya Model Residential Schools sanctioned across India, 477 remain shut, depriving countless tribal children of education. He also raised concerns about the low enrollment of tribal students in higher‑education streams and their limited representation in elite institutions such as the IITs.
Deepke called for a thorough investigation into the factors that keep tribal students and teachers under‑represented in premier institutions, linking the issue to deep‑seated structural inequities in the education system, and urged the government to adopt decisive corrective measures.
The CJP urges civil society, media, and policymakers to join the campaign and demand accountability.
