JAIPUR: Rajasthan education department has prohibited outsiders from entering government schools without prior permission. Besides, photography, videography, interviews and live streaming have been restricted on school premises.The order was issued after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced its plan to inspect government schools across the state under its “School Thik Karo” campaign.The timing of the directive has sparked a political firestorm. CJP had said its volunteers would visit government schools and record their condition, particularly in terms of facilities and infrastructure.The campaign is part of a wider nationwide exercise, where the organization says volunteers are checking schools for basic amenities including toilets, classrooms and other facilities. The broader audit effort reportedly involved between 1,200 and 1,500 volunteers.New guidelinesAccording to the new guidelines, no outsider will be allowed to enter the campus of a government school without the prior permission of the principal or head of the institution. Visitors are also required to sign the visitor register.Access to classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, toilets and areas where students are present, has been further restricted unless accompanied by authorized school personnel.The order also requires prior written approval for photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming that involve students, teachers or school activities. The education department has defended the restrictions on the basis of privacy, safety and dignity of children, while the government has insisted the measure is not a blanket ban on visitors.Why did the timing raise eyebrows?The controversy is largely about the order of things. The state education department issued restrictions hours after the CJP announced its plan to inspect schools in Rajasthan, including in cities such as Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur and Ajmer. Opposition leaders and CJP representatives have questioned whether the rules can bar independent scrutiny of government schools.CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka condemned the move. “Why would the authorities mind citizens looking at basic public infrastructure?” he asked. But the government has presented the restrictions as student safeguards, not a means of avoiding scrutiny.Now the big question is whether the new rules will impact CJP’s proposed inspections and whether the campaign will be able to document the condition of government schools in Rajasthan.The confrontation has transformed a local education campaign into a wider debate about public accountability, access to government institutions and the right to scrutinize public services. The organization already reports deficiencies in schools in other states.
