Page 24 - 10X GOOD Issue 17 October

Foundational Learning and Its Long- than 3 million assessments conducted to date.
EARLY READING,
FOUNDATION
LEARNING
AI-Powered Solutions
for a Changing World
- Nakul Jain
Wadhwani AI’s Oral Reading Fluency solution functions as an
assessment tool that supports teachers and students with real-
time feedback on reading fluency, giving them detailed analysis of
reading patterns and comprehensive reports that could potentially
help tailor precise interventions
A ₹1.48 lakh crore towards education indicates a need
world without technology is
unimaginable today. After all,
technology has become an integral
part of every aspect of our lives, and
the education sector—like others—has
a lot of opportunities to leverage for impact. The
Indian government’s recent budget allocation of
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Term Impact
NIPUN Bharat aims to help every child in India read A Vision for the Future
well and do basic math by the time they finish Grade Imagine an ecosystem where a child, irrespective
3. The goal is to equip children between 3 and 9 of their socio-economic background, has access to
years old by 2026-27 by using engaging learning the latest technology offerings in education. A tool
methods. With a keen focus on how children learn that both they and their teachers can use to assess
in their early years, NIPUN Bharat can help many their current abilities, get tailored interventions,
personalized practice material, and a clear trajectory
throughout their lives. of their growth. All of this is made available for basic
children do better in school and keep learning
reading skills and comprehension, speaking, and
writing. Numeracy could also be easily embedded
Various new technologies are being used to help
to make it a holistic foundational learning tool. A
make this initiative by the Ministry of Education low-cost offering for the education ecosystem in
work even better. AI tools are being piloted to
multiple languages with capabilities not restricted
give each child the help they need, especially with
by available infrastructure will be a game changer.
reading. Personalized tools that provide a tailored
Artificial intelligence has made all of this very much
approach for students are more enabling than a
one-size-fits-all approach, especially when it comes achievable. At Wadhwani AI multiple initiatives in
this direction will ensure these offerings reach every
to oral reading fluency. Improving oral reading
child.
fluency boosts literacy rates and enhances cognitive
development, critical thinking, and problem-solving
skills essential for navigating today’s world. Investing in early literacy and AI solutions is no
longer only about improving literacy rates on paper—
The Role of Technology and AI
it’s about building a solid foundation to ensure
healthier, happier and more productive citizens.
Wadhwani AI’s Oral Reading Fluency solution
is a prime example. It currently functions as an Solving for reading fluency will ensure individuals
are confident and ready to take on the global
assessment tool that supports teachers and students
competition and evolving demands of businesses.
with real-time feedback on reading fluency, giving
them detailed analysis of reading patterns and
availability of learning resources will be the most
comprehensive reports that could potentially help Creating an environment where there is parity in the
tailor precise interventions. The solution leverages critical.
advanced speech recognition models to assess
reading, providing insights on words read correctly,
misread, or missed, and calculating metrics like
Correct Words Per Minute (CWPM).
In Gujarat, this AI solution has been implemented in
government schools through the Vaachan Samiksha
Chatbot App, part of the state’s digital education
initiative. Thanks to the Government of Gujarat’s
visionary approach in spearheading this technology,
over 1 million students have benefitted, with more
to emphasize a future-ready workforce. We need a
workforce that can use current technology and can
the focus on Gen Alpha must be equally prioritized
to ensure readiness.
constantly upskill with changing technology. Hence,
Nakul Jain is the Director of Solutions at Wadhwani AI. Source: Wadhwani AI on LinkedIn.
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