Carried out during the office of the then Education Minister and local Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Archana Chitnis, this change in status did not bring in infrastructural improvements. The new high school in Madhya Pradesh's Emagird Gram Panchayat, the largest in the district, continued to function out of three rooms for Classes 6-10.

But a different kind of change was slowly taking place.

In 2019, the high school had seven students in Class 10 and a below 10 percent pass rate in the state board examinations. Five new teachers, including the current head of the institution, arrived here in 2023 with the aim to change all that. Since then, the pass rate has steadily grown – from 14 percent in 2022-23 to 100 in 2026, with 80 percent of students passing in first division. "If we could achieve 100 percent results with limited resources and students from economically weak and less educated families, imagine what government schools with all facilities and educated parents could achieve," principal of the school Kamaruddin Falak said. 

Government High School in Adilpur, Burhanpur (Photo - Sharik Akhtar Durrani, 101Reporters)

"Where else has this happened?" he added. 

The award-winning teachers opted to be posted here under the transfer policy and choice filling system with the aim of improving the school's academic condition, later ignoring their fellow teachers' advice to seek transfers elsewhere. They likewise shrugged off the pressure of a government policy stating that teachers' salary increment would be stopped if a government school's board exam result remained at or below 30 percent.

Five teachers of this group, including Falak, had met at a training programme 2018 organised annually by the state Education department. "We decided to choose a school where the board examination results were poor and there was scope for improvement," Falak says. Two more teachers -- Meera Magre and Ravikumar joined the high school later. "At first, they were hesitant to stay, but we told them about our mission and they joined our efforts," Falak said. 

Teachers understood each student's personal challenges and addressed them collectively in the classroom, adopting a study method they called “personal diagnosis, collective solution.” . Initially, students lacked basic language skills, so extra classes were organised to strengthen their abilities. Two months before the annual examinations, additional classes were conducted according to the syllabus. After completing the course, the teachers worked to build students' confidence.

Teachers Meena Magre, Ravi Kumar and Wasim Uddin (Photo - Sharik Akhtar Durrani, 101Reporters)

Their first task was to gather information from existing teachers about the state of affairs. Specific responsibilities were assigned to each teacher — school records and parent communication, cultural programmes and Hindi language skills, sports and extracurricular activities, and home visits for students with irregular attendance. The implementation and progress of all tasks were monitored by Falak.

Attendance was a matter of concern at the start. The teachers prepared a roadmap to ensure 100 percent enrolment of children from the settlement. They held meetings with parents in the locality, explained the importance of education, and motivated labourers to send their children to school.

Parent meetings were also organised in the school. In the beginning, the interest among parents was low. To increase participation, the school invited local police inspectors, doctors, and village sarpanches to deliver motivational speeches, using these events as an opportunity to bring parents to the school. Gradually, the interest increased. Parents shared their concerns with the invited guests, while teachers discussed issues related to the children's studies, creating a dialogue between both sides.

The next step was to address external challenges faced by students and teachers alike. Financial pressure played a huge role in early dropouts and girls were dropping out more than the boys. Teachers went door-to-door explaining the importance of education and brought many children back to school.

Since most families in this settlement belong to the labour class, they struggled to pay board examination fees in one instalment. In response, the school allowed fees to be paid in installments well in advance, helping children, especially girls, from labour families continue their studies.

Falak said that a few parents were also opposed to the idea of co-education in the higher classes. But after listening to the teachers, they changed their minds.

Students learning in a classroom (Photo - Sharik Akhtar Durrani, 101Reporters)

Quote from one of the parents if possible

Once the children began attending school, a WhatsApp group was created with parents and students to encourage regular attendance. "Not a single student has dropped out since we joined," Falak said. 

Sheikh Rehan, who passed the Class 10 board examination this year with a score of 71 percent is very happy with his achievement. His father is a weaver, and Rehan's excellent result has brought joy to the entire family. "The credit for my success goes to the five teachers," he said. Rehan now wants to pursue higher education.

The Education department, Falak said, issues a uniform academic calendar across the state, which he considers impractical. Instead, district-wise education calendars should be prepared based on local ground realities. He stressed that primary school students must receive strong language education, otherwise teachers are forced to teach subjects to children who can neither read nor write properly.

14 students have joined Class 10, adding to the 27 who have graduated from Class 9.

Rohini Pawar, District Education Officer of Burhanpur (Photo - Sharik Akhtar Durrani, 101Reporters)