No more backbenchers: Tripura school adopts Malayalam film's U-shape classroom seating

Time of India

20-07-2025

Agartala: After Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, a rural school of Sabroom in South Tripura has adopted the innovative U-shaped classrooms influenced by the casting of last year's Malayalam film Sthanarthi Sreekuttan.
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Ranjan Debnath, assistant headmaster of PM SHRI Sabroom Girls' Higher Secondary School, said the U-shaped sitting arrangement of the students in all Classes from I-XII was functional from Friday and it evoked enthusiasm among other schools in the area to replicate it.
"We have been experimenting with the model for three days, as in a few sections, students' attendance is high and classroom space is not enough to accommodate everybody in U-shape.
Therefore, we made little curves and adjustment to make all the students as frontbenchers and to remain in the eye-contact of the teachers," Debnath said.
He underlined that it's a small step, yet innovative, effective and highly potential to shift towards imparting an inclusive and engaging education in the classroom. The primary goal of this new arrangement is to eliminate the age-old concept of 'backbenchers' and ensure equal participation and attention for all students.
Under this layout, students are seated in a semi-circular formation around the teacher, allowing direct interaction and better visibility for everyone. This method fosters a more democratic and collaborative learning atmosphere, minimising physical and psychological distance between the teacher and students.
Appreciating the step, director of secondary education NC Sharma said, "We always encourage teachers to adopt innovative and attractive learning methods in the school to make students curious and tempted to join the class.
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The small correction in the seating arrangement obviously brings a meaningful change in the classroom environment, as all the students will be in the first bench."
"It believes such seating style has removed the disparities of back-row students. It boosts student confidence, enhances lesson engagement, and creates a stronger teacher-student connection. The classroom environment is now far more inclusive and cooperative," he said.
The similar U-shaped classroom formats have already been adopted in several schools in Kerala, promoting modern teaching methods. Tamil Nadu and Odisha have also begun piloting the model in select schools, reflecting a growing national interest in student-centric educational innovations.
Rajyasabha MP from Tripura Rajib Bhattacharjee said as chairman of the school management committee of Agartala's historical Nataji Subhas Vidyaniketan, he has decided to adopt the U-shape classroom model in the school after discussion with the school authority and other committee members.
"Our former MLA and renowned gynecologist Dilip Das, an alumnus of the school, has personally experimented with the seating arrangement, especially whether such sitting creates any discomfort to see the blackboard or such sitting creating any discomfort to see the blackboard or to creates any hindrance in getting natural lights and winds. We find everything is fine and proper, therefore, from next week it will be adopted," Bhattacharjee added.