Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues its focus to provide essential infrastructure to local communities in Thane, Maharashtra. Its latest effort is towards the renovation and beautification of the Thane Municipal School (school no. 4/60/112) as part of its AWS InCommunities program, which aims to make a positive impact to communities, especially in regions where AWS operates. The renovated school was inaugurated on December 11, 2023, in the presence of dignitaries including Prerana Kadam, Center Head, Education Department, Thane Municipal Corporation; Sanjay Bhoir, Ex Corporator, Thane Municipal Corporation; Carly Wishart, Director, Data Center Planning and Delivery, Asia-Pacific Japan and China, AWS; and Kerry Person, Vice President, Data Centre Planning and Delivery, AWS.
The renovation effort at the Thane Municipal School includes electrical, plumbing and civil-related work undertaken to improve the school infrastructure and create a comfortable, vibrant and friendly space for the students and staff. The school also has a renovated library and new furniture, and its walls have been decorated with colorful, interactive, localised murals, to provide friendly learning spaces and resources to children.
AWS’s association with Thane Municipal School began when it introduced the AWS Think Big Spaces program there in June this year. The AWS Think Big Spaces program is focused on enabling students to cultivate an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. AWS InCommunities has also been running a supplementary nutrition program in this school, where students are given nutritious laddoos each day to support their general health and enable them to more actively participate in classroom education and co-curricular activities.
Prerana Kadam, Center Head, Education Department, Thane Municipal Corporation, said, “After the AWS team visited the school in June for the inauguration of the Think Big Spaces program, they proactively offered to take up the renovation of the school. We are thankful to AWS for their support in improving the school infrastructure to help create a vibrant environment that is conducive to learning. Together with the AWS Think Big Spaces program implemented earlier, the school has an excellent opportunity to maximise learning outcomes and empower the children to build a bright future.”
Through the AWS InCommunities program, AWS has already set up over 30 Think Big Spaces in India, which includes STEAM Labs, STEAM corners and a one-of-a-kind Mobile Think Big Space on wheels. This latest initiative by AWS in Thane adds to the multiple initiatives it has already undertaken in the Mumbai Metro Region to enable access of STEAM education in fun and interactive ways, such as the launch of the AWS Think Big Spaces program in 2020, and the annual AWS Think Big Science Carnival event, which saw more than 2,300 school students from 50 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation schools attend the finale this year, showcasing innovative projects in agriculture and food safety, health and hygiene, environment conservation, renewal energy, and disaster management.
The initiatives under the AWS InCommunities program in India are focused on holistic community development, including the environment, people, and overall wellness. The AWS InCommunities program was first implemented in India in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai in 2018, before being extended to Telangana’s Rangareddy district in 2020. Since then, AWS InCommunities programs have focused on the development of sustainable communities by implementing impactful programs to protect wildlife and the environment and bolster the local economy, essential education and health infrastructure, and other basic amenities.
