Z.P. School Belpada, Tal. Murbad
A Central School Carrying the Weight of Many Villages
On 05 August 2023, Lakshya Foundation revisited Z.P. School Belpada, a crucial educational institution serving not just Belpada village, but several surrounding tribal hamlets. This school functions as a central academic bridge, where students from smaller village schools continue their education after completing primary grades.
This visit was part of Lakshya Foundation’s post-Lavhali expansion phase, where the Foundation began engaging deeply with schools that could benefit from a similar transformation model.
Purpose of the Visit
Unlike earlier survey visits that focused on documenting structural issues, this visit was centered on dialogue, trust-building, and collaborative planning.
The team spent time with:
- the school’s teaching staff,
- students who commute daily from nearby villages,
- and villagers whose children depend on this school for continued education.
The objective was clear:
to understand how infrastructure conditions directly affect motivation, attendance, and learning outcomes.
Ground Reality Observed
Though the building is relatively new, teachers shared that construction quality has become a silent adversary:
- Rainwater seeps through ceilings during monsoons, sometimes reaching classrooms on the ground floor.
- There are no electrical fittings, leaving rooms dark even during the day.
- Absence of fans makes summer classrooms nearly unbearable.
- Plaster has already begun to fall in places—raising concerns about safety.
Teachers explained that lessons often pause—not because of lack of intent, but because conditions become unworkable.
Voices from the Community
Villagers spoke with concern about how fragile motivation can be at this stage of education. Many students travel daily from distant hamlets. If their central school appears unsafe or neglected, families begin questioning whether the effort is worth it.
Students themselves shared quietly that:
- classrooms feel damp and gloomy,
- rainy days make it hard to concentrate,
- and the school “doesn’t feel like a place made for children.”
Reflection
Belpada highlighted a crucial insight:
When a central school struggles, the ripple effect touches multiple villages at once.
This visit strengthened Lakshya Foundation’s belief that intervening here could prevent dropouts across an entire micro-region, not just one village.