Dummy students, shiny plates: Dipke claims Latur school faked it before his raid

During a visit to a government school in Maharashtra, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that authorities had brought in students from other institutions to cover up the shortcomings and present a favourable picture. Dipke also alleged that school brought new shiny steel plates for midday meals before the visit.

Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) founding president, Abhijeet Dipke, has alleged that authorities in Maharashtra's Latur district brought students from another school and presented them as pupils of a Zilla Parishad primary school during his visit on Thursday (August 20). Dipke's visit was a part of the outfit's nationwide campaign 'School Thik Karo' aimed at highlighting the condition of government schools.

Dipke alleged that "dummy students were brought in", to conceal shortcomings in the school and create a favourable picture for visitors and the media. He also claimed that he noticed newly-supplied steel plates being used by students for their midday meals. He claimed that he was told that the plates were brought before his planned visit to the school.

"Authorities in Maharashtra are using kids as dummy students during our social audit to cover up the government’s failures. Why do you have to stoop so low? Why not just improve the schools?" Dipke wrote while posting a video on his X, where he was seen sitting with students on the floor of the school.

Dipke was visiting a government school in Ausa taluka of Latur district as part of the CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign, a nationwide drive aimed at highlighting deficiencies in government schools and demanding better infrastructure and educational facilities. The campaign was launched on August 15 after the CJP's protests in New Delhi culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over paper leaks and exam-related irregularities.

In a video shared by Dipke on X, he is seen asking students, seated in the Zilla Parishad primary school in Ausa taluka, where their school bags were.

The students replied that their bags were at their respective schools, indicating that the school they were seated in was not their own.

SHOCKED AFTER SEEING SHINY PLATES IN GOVT SCHOOLS: DIPKE

During his Latur visit, Dipke claimed he noticed several unusual arrangements at the school, including newly supplied steel plates being used by students for their midday meal.

"I was actually surprised to see such shiny plates being used in a government school and wondered since when such plates had been provided," Dipke said while speaking to journalists during the visit.

He alleged that he was later told the plates had been brought to the school only after authorities learnt that a visit was scheduled.

Dipke initially said he was glad that the visit had at least resulted in students receiving better plates. He then claimed that he discovered that some of the children seated at the school were not enrolled there.

According to Dipke, the children had been brought from another school and instructed to remain at the premises until his visit and the presence of media personnel ended.

DIPKE ALLEGES FINDING LIQUOR BOTTLES, MARIJUANA ROLLS IN SCHOOL PREMISES

The CJP's founding president further alleged that the school lacked adequate drinking-water facilities and that the toilets had been cleaned shortly before his arrival. The entire school premises, he claimed, had been cleaned a day before the visit.

Dipke further alleged that some children sitting inside classrooms did not appear on the school's rolls. When he questioned a teacher who was holding an additional charge in the absence of the headmaster, the teacher allegedly said he was unaware of who had brought the students to the school, according to Dipke.

The CJP leader also alleged that photographs and videos from the premises indicated possible illegal activity on the school grounds. He claimed empty liquor bottles and what he described as suspected marijuana rolls were found on the premises.

"Government schools in Latur have become an adda for drinking and smoking," Dipke alleged, writing on X he claimed that such activity was taking place around 200 metres from the office of a block development officer.

Dipke, while speaking to journalists on Thursday, said that the incident illustrated the concerns his outfit CJP was seeking to highlight through the 'School Thik Karo' campaign. Rather than temporarily improving facilities or arranging students ahead of inspections, he said authorities should address the problems faced by children in government schools.

Dipke further added that the campaign would seek to put pressure on both the administration and elected representatives to address the problems and ensure accountability.

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