Shri Sardar Patel High School

Out here in Napaniyakhijadia, things move at a bit of a slower pace. Our school is located at number 10, right in the Kalavad taluka of Jamnagar. It is a high school where most of the kids come from the surrounding farms and smaller houses. If you've ever been to this part of Gujarat, you know it's a lot of open space. We have a simple building with a few rows of classrooms. It isn't anything modern with glass walls or shiny floors. It's mostly just concrete and a bit of paint that we try to touch up when we have the time. The morning starts with a lot of cycles being parked out front. We see the same students year after year until they finally finish up and head off to work or further study. The teachers often sit outside in the shade during their breaks because the rooms can get a bit stuffy in the summer heat. We don't have a big office or anything like that. Just a desk and some old cupboards filled with registers. It’s a quiet spot for the most part, except for when the kids are let out for lunch. People in the village usually stop by if they need to talk about their kids. We don't really do fancy meetings. It's more about just having a chat by the gate. We’ve been part of this community for years now and the school is just part of the landscape.