The Maharashtra government on Saturday announced that it shall launch a state-wide ‘Let’s Go to School’ campaign, whose objective is to improve the quality of education, upgrade the infrastructure of schools and promote value-based learning.
The initiative was announced in the wake of the birth centenary year of Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s upcoming birthday slated to be observed on September 17. The campaign shall be in force across the state from September 5 to October 20, 2026, coinciding with Dussehra.
AI-generated image
Sources said the campaign is aimed at addressing shortcomings in government schools, while encouraging efforts to create better learning environments for students.
CJP welcomes move, calls campaign a ‘major achievement’
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke welcomed the government’s initiative, saying the decision showed that governments were beginning to take note of the sorry state of school infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. In a post on ‘X,’ Dipke wrote, “Finally, govts are waking up to the broken education infrastructure in rural India. The pressure is working. Keep raising your voice!”
The post further read, “After Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, now the Maharashtra Government is taking the initiative to improve schools and the education system.”
CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign
The announcement by Maharashtra government comes days after the CJP introduced its ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, by means of which the outfit has been highlighting alleged deficiencies and dilapidated infrastructure in government-run schools across different states.
The party has claimed that its members flagged problems affecting students and school buildings in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, following which authorities took steps to address some of the concerns.
In one such instance, a government school building in Jaipur, whose unsafe condition had been highlighted by CJP members last month, was later demolished by authorities.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke
However, the outfit’s campaign also became a focal point of controversy in some districts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Authorities in certain areas restricted the entry of outsiders, including journalists, YouTubers, social media users and civil society representatives, into government schools without prior approval.
SC declines to entertain plea rejecting govts’ orders
Post-restrictions, a petition was also filed in the Supreme Court (SC), which sought to nullify the orders imposed by the respective state governments. However, the SC bench declined to entertain the plea, saying, “We are not inclined to entertain the writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.”
A still from CJP's School Thik Karo campaign
The Maharashtra government’s latest initiative is now scheduled to run for more than six weeks, and focus shall be laid on improving school infrastructure, education quality and the overall learning environment.