In Uttar Pradesh’s Samuhi Bhatpurwa village, 122 primary school students, some as young as six, refused to attend classes on August 22 until authorities promised to replace their dilapidated school building.

Part of the school remains in ruins after a wall collapsed in 2023 and severely injured a girl.

Following the protest, Block education officer Deepak Awasthi told the students that a new building would be constructed soon.

Similar protests have been reported in at least 10 states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, with students citing shortages of teachers, drinking water, electricity, benches and safe classrooms.

The protests come after a wave of Gen Z demonstrations over examination paper leaks, unemployment and flaws in India’s education system.

The youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, has since launched its ‘School Thik Karo (Fix The Schools)’ campaign in support of school students demanding better conditions.

“During our Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi, we met many young children and their parents who had travelled from rural areas,” Ratna Singh, the CJP’s legal affairs head, told Al Jazeera.

“They spoke about the poor condition of schools, the shortage of teachers and potholed, untarred roads leading to schools, among other issues.”

India operates one of the world’s largest school systems, with 247 million students enrolled in 1.5 million schools.

Government data shows improvements in access to education and teacher-pupil ratios, but many government-run schools still lack basic infrastructure and staff.

“The children are demanding their rights. They want teachers, benches, school buildings, drinking water, electricity and toilets,” Bengaluru-based education rights activist Nagasimha Rao told Al Jazeera.

“Unfortunately, for a long time, the basic infrastructure and manpower to run schools have been missing.”

Under India’s Right to Education Act, children aged six to 14 are entitled to education meeting prescribed standards for infrastructure, sanitation, safety and teacher availability.

However, government data shows that more than 100,000 schools have only one teacher serving all grades.

The protests have also drawn attention to poor food quality in some schools participating in India’s midday meal programme.

Educationist Swarna Rajagopalan said the school system required systemic reforms, including better infrastructure and improved teacher recruitment.

With more than 30 percent of India’s population under 18, education activists say the growing protests could also pose a future political challenge for governments.

“The children are our future. If they don’t get proper education in a conducive atmosphere, it would derail India’s growth,” education activist Akash Sarkar told Al Jazeera.

“These children are tomorrow’s voters too.”