Literacy is very important for the development of a country. But, in the name of literacy awareness, one can only see drab-looking posters stuck outside panchayat offices, local schools and health centres. So blandly is the message projected that it rarely receives a second glance. Keeping this in mind, Professor Brij Kothari, assistant professor, Ravi J Mathai Centre for Educational Innovation at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has come up with an exciting concept of spreading literacy through computer software.

This extremely simple interface designed by Prof Kothari is called ‘Kaun Banshe Aksharpati’. It is a user-friendly, interactive quiz for the population in rural areas where level of literacy and computer literacy is pretty low. The programme which will be later installed at panchayat offices, schools and public centres in villages in the form of kiosks or touchscreens—will ill help the user assess his or her own literacy level in an entertaining way.

The programme has two options, one for beginners and one for those who are slightly familiar with computers and have some level of literacy, informs Kothari. Giving an example, he says. "There is the name of an animal in the middle and the picture of four animals each at four corners of the screen. The user will have to connect the name to the picture by clicking on the right option. If the user clicks on the right picture, he get a point. And, if he is wrong, the computer provides the right answer. Moreover, if the user clicks on a picture, the name of the animal is voiced."

The words used for every question has been selected from a huge database of Gujarati words. There is a focus on rhyming words and words that have a consonant as the second letter, informs Kothari.

In the end, the user also gets a certificate which has the score, the number of correct and incorrect answers. Another interesting aspect of the programme is it mentions the areas where a person needs improvement. "The programme points out words and alphabets that the user failed to answer correctly and hence, he or she gets to know the exact areas where improvement is required," points Kothari.

With the pictures of animals and a hostess, the interface looks entertaining. "We conducted trials on people from Gulbai Tekra and after observing how they reacted and obtaining their suggestions for improvement, we made necessary changes. Finally, it’s an extremenly easy-to-use and easy-to-operate interface that anyone can use," avers Kothari, adding that they now plan to conduct more trials.

"After the trials, we plan to put the idea across to the State Government so that they can install the kiosks in villages," says Kothari, who further adds the approach of the State education department has not been "proactive till date."

"They should encourage competitions and annual awards: and instigate others to innovate methods of improving literacy levels in rural areas," suggests Kothari.

Kothari has also developed a CD-ROM on a number of socially-relevant folk songs from across the State. The songs revolve around issues like gender equality, reproductive and child health, environment, vaccination, animal care, hygiene and education.

Republished from Indian Express