Children of the Government High School Amrol, in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh are regularly seen huddled in a meeting. A weekly gathering like this, driven by the students of the school, happens regularly to discuss some of the issues around current affairs, education and others that they need to be aware of. Some of the members of the staff are also part of the meeting to make sure everything is orderly.

It is a change that has happened in the last few years. But that is not the only change that has happened in the school, for this government school which has 492 students studying from class 1 to 10.

The walls have been painted afresh and they now carry the messages that all children should imbibe. The science lab has been provided with equipment that children did not have access to earlier. The library now has a collection of books that the children enjoy reading. The general environs of the school are much better than what they were earlier.

The change has left the villagers happy as it is looked upon by its neighbours, who are hoping to replicate the changes. Every parent in the vicinity now wants their children to study in this school.

“What Coca-Cola and SRF Foundation have done for the school is immeasurable,” says Rajbala, the headmistress of the Government High School Amrol.

The changes at this school in Amrol have caught the attention of many a people. T. Ilyaraja, the district collector of Bhind district, was so impressed with the change that was brought about that he personally supervised the work.

Now that classes have become very regular and the change is visible, children are being taught the importance of recycling.

Support My School programme has been helping in bringing about changes across schools in the country. Launched six years ago, the programme has now revitalised 1000 schools across India by the end of 2017. Over 360,000 school children have benefitted because of the programme in India, being driven by Coca-Cola and NDTV along with its partners, PLAN India, CAF India, WorldVision India, SRF Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation and Round Table India.