In Bengaluru, CJP flags teacher shortage, falling roof in government schools

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) flagged several issues after visiting government schools in Bengaluru, including the absence of teachers due to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work, poor infrastructure, and poor cleanliness.

The team, led by CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, visited four government schools in Bengaluru as part of its nationwide “School Thik Karo” campaign on Wednesday and Thursday. Ranka said that the Government Urdu School in Varthur had around 150 students across two classrooms, one of which had a ceiling that was coming loose.

He also highlighted that out of six teachers, only three were permanent. "70% of the classrooms in Govt Urdu School, Varthur, Bengaluru are closed because of falling roofs. But what is more shocking is that students are still studying in classrooms which are about to fall.

Students themselves told that a part of roof fell on them. How can the govt allow such schools to function? Does it not care about the safety of our children?" he asked in one of his X posts. “The infrastructure is decent, but there are concerns about hygiene in many schools.

The toilets are not in good condition, and the garbage is being thrown near the school, polluting the environment,” Ranka said after his visit to the Yeshwantpura school. The local civic agency must focus,” Ranka said. “The clear but the biggest problem is SIR.

Most schools have been run with fewer than 50 per cent teachers for the last three months, and it will continue for the next two months. The people of Karnataka need to audit the government schools for better education,” he added.

Ranka said CJP members have audited more than 200 schools in Karnataka over the last month. Ranka also met Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and “had a detailed discussion about the gaps observed during our school visits”.

"Madhu ji (Madhu Bangarappa) also explained the KPS initiative, under which ~2000 govt schools are set to be upgraded into model schools. @Cockroachisback welcomes constructive discussions like these, where beyond politics, student welfare takes the centre stage,” he said in a post on X.

Later, he also posted a video showing the roof of one of the schools being repaired. “CJP Impact! Work has now started in the govt school of Varthur, which we had visited yesterday. CJP will not stop till all the govt schools of India are fixed,” he said.

Work has now started in the govt school of Varthur, which we had visited yesterday. — Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) September 10, 2026 The Indian Express also visited some government schools, where teachers spoke about the staff shortage.

At Karnataka Public School in Adugodi, where classes from 1 to 7 are held, four of the seven teachers were deputed for SIR work. At Adugodi Government PU College, which has nine sections and 550 students, only two of 13 teachers were available.

At Kengeri Government School, 10 teachers teach about 235 students, but four have been deputed for SIR duty. “For three months, classes have hardly been held and now it is going to be challenging as exams also have to be conducted.

How do they expect children who go to government schools to do well or match those in private schools if things like this continue to happen?” a school headmaster in West Division asked. Vikas Kishor Suralkar, Commissioner for School Education, told The Indian Express that the issue of lack of teachers was more prevalent in urban areas.

“In Bengaluru, 15-20 per cent of teachers have been deputed for SIR work. I admit that most of the teaching staff might be taken from the same school and we will try to address the issue,” he said.