20 August,2026 12:29 PM IST | Mumbai | Eeshanpriya MS
The Mumbai Public School at Colaba
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Wednesday inspected the Mumbai Public School at Colaba Market LP Marathi school as part of its âSchool Theek Karo' campaign, highlighting concerns over classroom strength, infrastructure and basic facilities. The inspection was led by CJP National Coordinator Akshay Shinde and is the first school inspection by the party's national leadership in Mumbai. Volunteers have earlier inspected schools in the western suburbs.
The group says its volunteers use a 20-question checklist covering nine parameters, including
>> Student safety and security
>> Teacher availability
>> School functioning
>> Classroom conditions
>> Toilets and sanitation
>> Basic facilities
Volunteers visited classrooms, toilets and the storage area and recorded their observations.
A teacher conducts a class at the school
80+
Students in some classrooms, according to the volunteers
30-35
The optimal class strength cited by the group
20
Questions on the inspection checklist
9
Parameters covered by the checklist
>> Children from different age groups seated in the same classroom
>> Different grades being taught simultaneously
>> Some classrooms with more than 80 students
>> Fire hydrants that had expired or were not functioning
>> No sanitary pads available for students
CJP National Coordinator Akshay Shinde speaks to a teacher during the inspection. Pics/Ashish Raje
In one classroom, volunteers asked a teacher why a child was wearing plain clothes. They were told the child had received a uniform of the wrong size. The child was then asked the same question and said his pants did not fit properly.
According to CJP members, volunteers have been visiting municipal schools in pairs or groups of three. They approach principals for permission and conduct inspections during school hours so they can speak to teachers and students. Each volunteer fills out the checklist and submits it to the party's WhatsApp group, where the findings are compiled for the leadership.
An expired fire hydrant at Mumbai Public School
The inspection itself, however, disrupted regular classes. CJP volunteers and social media influencers entered ongoing classrooms, questioned teachers and students and took photographs with children. Classes for Standards I to VIII were reportedly interrupted for 45 minutes to one hour. An independent volunteer associated with the group said schools are inspected during teaching hours to allow volunteers to interact with students and understand their problems.
Akshay Shinde, national coordinator, CJP
What is âSchool Theek Karo' trying to achieve?
The âSchool Theek Karo' campaign is a nationwide civic reform initiative launched on August 15. We are visiting schools across the country, and the campaign has been launched in several states including Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and across Maharashtra cities.
This particular school in Colaba was chosen to launch the campaign in Mumbai. We were also alerted to malpractices in this school. We will visit all BMC schools henceforth to draw the authorities' attention to the dire state of school education.
Why inspect during class hours?
We visit schools during teaching hours so that we are able to speak to children and understand their problems. We also get to interact with parents during this time. However, this can be organised better so that children get to interact with a large group in a better and softer way.
But the inspection disrupted classes. You confronted a teacher; was that justified?
We want things to change for the better. However, citizens will only be heard if we make a noise. That is the only means left to draw government attention to the situation.
I was speaking to the teacher and asking him basic questions that he did not have answers to. He was misleading us and not giving us information, which led to a heated conversation.
