Abul Kalam Azad High School

You can find our school right by the Sikri Gate near the police chowki on Badaun Road. It’s a busy spot in Chandausi, and there’s always something going on just outside our doors. The building itself is an older one, with thick walls and high ceilings that help keep things a bit cooler when the sun is beating down on Sambhal. We have a lot of students coming from the nearby neighborhoods, so the mornings are always a bit of a scramble at the entrance. The classrooms have big windows, but some of the latches are a bit tricky to close. We spend a lot of time on the basics, making sure everyone has their notebooks and pencils ready. Our teachers have been with us for years and they know the families around here. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your business. We don't have a huge budget for decorations, so we just stick up the best drawings the kids make in art class. The bell is just a piece of iron we hit with a hammer, and it’s loud enough for everyone on the street to hear when school is out. We have a small courtyard where the kids stand for prayers, and it’s usually dusty because of the wind coming off the road. It’s just a normal high school where we try to keep the roof from leaking and the kids from making too much trouble. It’s home for us.