Forget dusty chalkboards and the monotonous drone of multiplication tables—mathematics is getting a new address, and it looks more like a playground than a classroom.
Benimadhav High School for Girls in North 24 Parganas district’s Gaighata has become the first government-aided school in West Bengal to open a state-of-the-art mathematics laboratory, a bold attempt to turn numbers from nightmare to companion. The lab was officially inaugurated 10 days ago in the presence of teachers, officials, and curious onlookers from neighbouring schools.
For decades, mathematics has worn the mask of a monster for many students. Equations resemble encrypted puzzles, geometry makes palms sweat, and algebra feels like an endless maze. That fear, woven into young minds since childhood, has often chased bright children away from science altogether. The Gaighata initiative wants to break that spell—with touch, play and discovery.
“Inside this new lab, math is no longer confined to ink and paper. Instead, models, charts and hands-on tools stand ready to decode everything from basic arithmetic to geometry. Students from Class V to Class X can tinker, test and transform abstract problems into something they can hold in their hands,” said headmistress Mohana Mitra.
“I have seen students freeze the moment they open a math book,” admitted Mohana, her voice carrying both memory and relief. “Numbers feel distant to them, like strangers. This lab will bring those strangers closer. Here, they will learn with their hands, and in doing so, math will lose its terror,” she added.
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The journey to this lab, however, was not smooth. For months the dream languished under the heavy stone of financial constraints. Then, an unexpected benefactor stepped in—retired teacher Mantosh Kumar Mitra, the headmistress’s own father. With his personal efforts, the lab finally came to life.
“Numbers are not enemies,” Mantosh remarked during the inauguration, his eyes gleaming with conviction. “They sharpen logic, fuel imagination and build confidence. I want every school to grow such a garden of numbers where children can play without fear,” he said.
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The event drew teachers from schools across neighbouring Thakurnagar, Bongaon, Habra and Ashoknagar, all of whom peered at the instruments with a mixture of curiosity and quiet envy. Manoj Ghosh, headmaster of Ashoknagar Vidyasagar Banibhaban High School, conceded, “We are used to thinking of laboratories only for physics or chemistry. But here lies proof that mathematics, too, deserves a lab. This idea should spread.”
Ishani Mondal and Pracheta Sarkar, their faces glowing with anticipation, said, “From now on, math exams will not terrify us. With charts, devices, and models, the subject feels like a game. This lab will help us dream bigger in science.”
The initiative has already drawn official praise. Partha Karmakar, Deputy Secretary of the West Bengal Education Service, declared, “Through this lab, the myth of mathematics being ‘difficult’ will fade. Students will discover joy in numbers, and Gaighata’s example will inspire schools across the state.”
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