A Waft Of Chilled Air In Classrooms Reverses Dropout Rate In West Bengal School

Rashora Ambika High School in Kandi, West Bengal, now boasts air-conditioned classrooms, transforming it into a more comfortable and appealing place for students. This improvement, ending the days of hot and sweaty classrooms, was made possible by the contributions of a dedicated group of teachers at the school.

Murshidabad (West Bengal): Government schools are now a cool place! The days of hot and sweaty days in the classrooms are over. Air-conditioned classrooms are waiting for the students of the government-aided Rashora Ambika High School of Kandi in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. And all that was possible due to the contributions of a handful of teachers of that school.

Around 900 students of the Rashora Ambika High School study from Classes V to XII. But, when the school reopened after the summer vacation this year, the teachers found several students missing from their classes. The dropout rate simply kept rising.

“We were worried. The attendance went thinner by the day and that was when we found that many students were staying back at home because they could not brave the sweltering summer. It was a matter of worry as we have to complete the syllabus,” said one of the teachers at Rashora Ambika High School.

The school’s management committee, along with the headmaster, went into a huddle to find a solution, which had to be quick and lasting. “It was during one of those meetings that the headmaster proposed the idea of installing air conditioners in the classrooms. It would not only help the students beat the heat, but will also encourage others to rejoin classes. In this agrarian-dominated belt, it would be a good initiative, we thought,” said the teacher.

Diptendu Dhar, the head teacher of the school, said discussions were held with Kandi Municipality chairman Jaydev Ghatak and local MLA Apurba Sarkar. Both consented to the initiative and finally, eight air conditioners were purchased out of the funds collected from the salaries of the teachers.

“We formed a cooperative and withdrew Rs 3.75 lakhs to purchase the machines. The school inspector was informed, apart from the civic chairman and the MLA. There was no other way to check the dropout rate. The temperature of all the ACs is being regulated keeping in mind the health of the students. It has been a game changer and we are happy now that students have started flocking to the classes. We will finish the syllabus on time and our students will have a better environment to study," said head teacher Diptendu.

For the students of Rashora Ambika High School, it is the classrooms, which have turned out to be the go-to destination in the summers. The chill, they say, will help them breeze past the tough questions hidden within the pages of their books.