How AWS InCommunities helps upgrade schools in rural India

Schools have a pivotal role in developing young minds. Schools must provide students access to a positive environment as proper infrastructure and updated facilities help students cultivate a holistic environment where they can learn, experiment, and play.

AWS InCommunities recently completed the renovation of the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) campus at Meerkhanpet, Hyderabad which houses pre-primary, primary, and high school students. AWS InCommunities also launched a breakfast program and AWS Think Big Spaces for this school.

At the opening for the now renovated school, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Minister for Education, Telangana, said, “These past few years have been particularly challenging for communities, and this is our opportunity to transform and build more empowered, equitable communities by making quality education and health facilities more accessible. It is heartening to see the efforts made by AWS preparing the ground for development of our young people in the state.” AWS InCommunities has been working with government schools in Telangana to enhance learning outcomes since 2021.

The renovation project at Meerkhanpet included essential repairs, electrification, and new flooring of all classrooms. This has resulted in the upgradation of school facilities like playground, kitchen, separate washrooms and addition of amenities like sports equipment and water purifiers. The ZPHS now has a dedicated lunch shed where students can have their mid-day meals.

Puneet Chandok, president, commercial business, AWS India & South Asia, AISPL, said, “We hope to see more than 500 students from Meerkhanpet and several villages in the vicinity benefiting from an enriched learning experience at the newly renovated Zilla Parishad High School.”

“With its well-lit classrooms and modern campus including a kitchen, playground, sanitation facilities, and other utilities, it is a rejuvenating space for students to thrive and learn. It is gratifying to enable this important step towards quality education, with favourable and safe conditions for every student in the community,” he added.

An environment that fosters development also means schoolchildren have proper nourishment to ensure their physical and mental well-being. To meet this objective, AWS InCommunities is launching a breakfast program for school children, with the aim of extending it to 5,000 children.

Typically, government school students have their first meal in the afternoon. By providing them with a healthy breakfast of dry fruits/multi-millet laddoos and ragi malt/protein-based drinks, the program aims to improve students’ health and sharpen their ability to concentrate on lessons and engage in sports with greater energy.

Chris Vonderhaar, Vice President Data Center Planning, Delivery & Operations at Amazon Data Services, Inc. said, “The Meerkhanpet Zila Parishad High School renovation, breakfast program, and the AWS Think Big Space represent our larger commitment to the community in Telangana. Over the last three years, AWS has renovated several pre-primary and primary schools and hospitals, and constructed rural libraries. AWS hopes that these initiatives will benefit the community and help keep children fully engaged in the world of learning.”

AWS Think Big Spaces has been launched at Meerkhanpet ZPHS and is the fourth of eight such centres planned in the region, and fifteenth in India. The AWS Think Big Spaces aim to provide an exemplary learning environment for students in the state.

Here, learners have access to a dedicated place to explore and cultivate their extra-curricular interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) disciplines. These laboratories are equipped to allow students to think big, pursue innovative ideas, experiment, and develop practical knowledge in solving the most pressing challenges of the real world.

AWS InCommunities program aims to make a positive difference to communities, especially in regions where AWS builds and operates its global infrastructure. The initiatives under AWS InCommunities are focused on holistic community development, including the environment, people, and overall wellness.

AWS InCommunities first came to India in 2018 with long-term community-focused programs, which were first implemented in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai district before extending into Telangana’s Rangareddy district in 2020. Since then, AWS InCommunities programs have focused on the development of sustainable villages through bolstering the local economy, essential infrastructure, market linkages, connectivity, and other basic amenities. In May 2022, AWS renovated the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS), Hythabad in the Shabad mandal (administrative division) of Rangareddy district. AWS also helped build an oxygen generator that can generate 500 litres of oxygen per minute, at the Maheshwaram Community Health Center (CHC) in Rangareddy district, Telangana.

These programs, in addition to the focus on STEAM Education, Tech Upskilling and Environment Stewardship, aim to support infrastructure facilities for education and health as well as build entrepreneurship awareness. They have helped foster opportunities locally through livelihood generating programs including kitchen gardens and tailoring, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a part of our strategy to build communities that are adaptable and resilient in rapidly changing socio-economic conditions.