The Balo English Medium School is located in on Alam Mistri Lane, number 1, in Pilkhana, Howrah, near the Karbala Mosque. The school uses part of the ground floor and all of the first and second floors of a five story building. Balo completely remodeled the premisis by installing running water and sewage, tile floors, walls, bathrooms on both levels, a kitchen, staff room, computer lab, science lab, library, office, and large gathering area. The colorful and bright walls were painted by the students under the guidance of the Balo art teacher.
The children were so excited and impressed when they entered the new space in March 2018 that that they wanted to sleep there and call it home too!
Is the school large enough? How much bigger is Balo English Medium School going to grow?
The first floor of the school has classrooms for Pre-K through class 8. The first floor also has toilets, a common eating, play, work, dance area, the kitchen, and a staff room.
Classes 9 and 10, the computer lab, science lab, library, and a small shared desk space for Rehana, the director, and Sony, the principal are located on the ground floor of the building. Balo also cleaned the tiny alley behind the building by removing mountains of trash, installing a small, restroom, and covered patio to protect people from rain and falling debris.
While grade 10 was thought to be the end of a child’s general education, things changed in India, and universities and vocational schools are beginning to require that students complete year 11 and 12 for admission to vocational and graduate programs. Balo made adjustments, purchased the second floor of the building, and now we have space for our 11th and 12th grade students.
The three floors above the school are apartments. It is not ideal to rent, buy, or modify a room above the first floor because they are often built illegally. Builders obtain permits for the ground and first floors, and levels above often added without proper grants, so it is not advisable to buy anything higher.