Academy pupils rise to the challenge

The students imported goods from India and auctioned them on to their peers for a marked up price, raising a staggering 12,825 rupees during their part of the relay on Monday, January 12.

The money will be donated to the school’s partner charity in India, the Karma Project, which is a grassroots organisation that runs a free school for over 80 boys and girls.

Lisa Roberts, a teacher at Bishopbriggs Academy, said: “The pupils really wanted to see what a tenner meant in an international context and also were keen to do something to raise money for a grassroots charity and raise awareness.

“For them the challenge was less about how much money they could generate from the original tenner, but what the legacy that tenner could have in terms of it going back into education.”

The money raised, which equates to just over £130, will pay a teacher for four months and supply the class with jotters, pencils and chalk in the very poor area of Boghgaya, in India. Ruby Deans (15), a pupil at Bishopbriggs Academy said that she enjoyed the challenge “because it’s different to all my other subjects.”

She added that they were keen to raise as much money as possible for the charity.

The pupils worked hard to ensure that their effort was a success by marketing throughout the school and negotiating with traders in India to agree on the best prices for all items.

The challenge is part of a month-long relay that sees 10 selected schools in the north of the UK trying to generate a larger combined profit than that of the south, with Birmingham being the dividing line.

As the relay continues two £10 notes will travel to 20 areas of the country, challenging school children along the way to turn them into as much profit as possible by doing something creative and enterprising, before passing them on to the next school.