Rajasthan Admits 611 Govt Schools Have No Buildings Amid CJP Inspections

A Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) inspection team submitted a report revealing that 611 government schools across Rajasthan operate without any physical buildings. Thousands of students are forced to attend classes in open fields, temporary tin sheds or dilapidated rented spaces, The Indian Express reported. CJP refers to a youth-led satirical political movement and citizen pressure group.

The inspection was initiated following a public interest litigation highlighting the rapidly deteriorating educational infrastructure in rural Rajasthan. There was no official government mandate or court order authorising their investigation; rather, the inspections were conducted under the organisation's self-initiated volunteer campaign called "School Thik Karo" launched in August 2026.

Rajasthan Schools Face Infrastructure Gaps

The ongoing legal challenge seeks to hold state authorities accountable for the poor conditions faced by students.

The CJP shared in a post on X that Rajasthan’s Education Minister Madan Dilawar called a buffalo shed a ‘school’.

The Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009 legally mandates all government schools to provide permanent all-weather buildings. Following the submission of the inspection findings, the High Court directed the Rajasthan state education department to submit a time-bound action plan for school construction.

To address the infrastructure deficit, the Rajasthan government has earmarked a budget of Rs 450 crore specifically for constructing buildings and Rs 550 crore for repairs, alongside Rs 2,500 crore annually (totaling Rs 12,500 crore over a five-year timeline), according to The Indian Express. Furthermore, the Education Department approved Rs 410 crore in April 2026 to construct 300 new school buildings.

CJP Inspections Trigger Political Row

The inspected educational facilities lacked basic amenities essential for regular academic activities. According to official Rajasthan state government data and the UDISE+ 2025–26 report released in August 2026, among the 64,484 state-run schools that do have their own buildings, 2,047 lack toilet facilities and 1,049 lack drinking water facilities, The Indian Express reported. Additionally, approximately 8.5% of schools still lack electricity.

During the survey, the inspection panel documented multiple instances of co-educational schools operating with zero functional sanitation facilities. The absence of permanent structures and boundary walls leaves children exposed to extreme heat and rain. This lack of basic infrastructure severely disrupts the learning environment and creates significant health risks for students and teaching personnel.

State education department officials cited land acquisition delays and budget constraints as primary reasons for the building deficit. The court order now requires the government to present a definitive roadmap to overcome these administrative hurdles and fulfill its legal obligations to the affected students.

A Cockroach Janta Party team that had gone to inspect a government school in a Rajasthan village on Friday was attacked and forcibly pushed back allegedly by locals, resulting in a scuffle with the youth group warning of a bigger protest in the state if the attackers are not arrested within 48 hours and an order restricting outsiders entry into schools is not revoked.

CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, while talking to PTI, said, “Let them file an FIR. We have no problem with that. We have videos... live, unedited videos and we have all the evidence.”