BMC Bars Unauthorized School Inspections Following CJP Visit in Colaba
The civic education department has barred volunteers of the Cockroach Janata Party from entering municipal schools without prior permission, following an inspection at the Mumbai Public School in Colaba earlier this week.
The group, which launched a nationwide "School Thik Karo" campaign to conduct social audits of civic and government schools, inspected the Colaba facility on Wednesday. However, senior members of the organisation were denied entry when they attempted to visit the Nadkarni Park Municipal School in Wadala on Thursday because they lacked official clearance.
Following the restriction, representatives met with civic education officer Kirtivardhan Kiritkudve on Friday to discuss access. Pranay Ahire, state coordinator for the organisation, defended the drive by citing Article 21A of the Constitution and the Right to Education Act, stating that citizens have the right to question the condition of public schools.
"Our aim is not to obstruct government work," Ahire said. "We want to understand the problems in schools, including water, toilets, teaching and other basic facilities, and help the administration solve them."
A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said the organisation has been instructed to submit a collective proposal outlining the campaign, including other participating groups such as the All India Students' Federation. The civic body will make a formal decision after reviewing the submission. Ahire confirmed the organisation agreed to submit the joint proposal on Monday while requesting a response within 48 hours.
The clampdown also affected other student groups on Friday. An AISF delegation led by Mumbai president Aamir Kazi was denied entry to the Mumbai Public School located in the Parel Poibawdi Municipal School building. Kazi stated that the school gate was shut against the delegation and the administration called the police while members sat peacefully outside seeking a meeting with the principal. AISF plans to meet the concerned assistant commissioner on Saturday to request permission for social audits.
The BMC maintained that unauthorized visits compromise student safety and disrupt daily academic activities. Teacher-activist Bhausaheb Chaskar also raised concerns regarding the privacy of students and staff, warning against recording photographs, videos, and statements without parental consent, and noting that audit drives must not humiliate school staff in front of children.
