'Kitab Ek Padhe Anek' Introduced by NCERT to Enhance Learning for Visually Challenged Students
Friday, 16 August 2024, 16:17 IST
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is initiating a touch/talking pen project called ‘Kitab Ek Padhe Anek’, which proposes to make educational content accessible to all learners, including those with visual impairment or special needs.
The project is ongoing and being developed by the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a constituent of NCERT. This project includes the creation of interactive textbooks with touchpoints. When a talking pen is placed on them, these touchpoints provide audio descriptions of illustrations or other content.
Subjects covered by the project, which began in May, have so far covered subjects such as Hindi, English, and Mathematics for classes I and II. It plans to extend to class V and will gradually cover other subjects as well. The NCERT aims to have these books ready by the next academic session, which will be made available to all students across the country.
Sudha Acharya, former NPSC chairman and principal of ITL Public School, says, “These books will be a boon for the visually challenged children. The interactive nature of the talking pen will allow students to explore the material at their own pace without relying solely on teachers’ assistance. The books, which will be child-friendly, will help students develop a sense of independence and confidence in their learning journey. The talking pen will make learning more engaging for the children. The initiative will also be a valuable aid for teachers as it will allow them to give quality education to all their students”.
A primary teacher in a Delhi school and a participant in the project says, “A few teachers have been attending workshops being held in batches for this project. I was part of the second batch of teachers, which consisted of 25 teachers from across Delhi. We were briefed about the project’s goals and given a demonstration as to how the talking pen will function with the help of a demo book. The team has completed making the touchpoints, and now the audio will be prepared for the respective content”.
The project is ongoing and being developed by the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a constituent of NCERT. This project includes the creation of interactive textbooks with touchpoints. When a talking pen is placed on them, these touchpoints provide audio descriptions of illustrations or other content.
Subjects covered by the project, which began in May, have so far covered subjects such as Hindi, English, and Mathematics for classes I and II. It plans to extend to class V and will gradually cover other subjects as well. The NCERT aims to have these books ready by the next academic session, which will be made available to all students across the country.
Sudha Acharya, former NPSC chairman and principal of ITL Public School, says, “These books will be a boon for the visually challenged children. The interactive nature of the talking pen will allow students to explore the material at their own pace without relying solely on teachers’ assistance. The books, which will be child-friendly, will help students develop a sense of independence and confidence in their learning journey. The talking pen will make learning more engaging for the children. The initiative will also be a valuable aid for teachers as it will allow them to give quality education to all their students”.
A primary teacher in a Delhi school and a participant in the project says, “A few teachers have been attending workshops being held in batches for this project. I was part of the second batch of teachers, which consisted of 25 teachers from across Delhi. We were briefed about the project’s goals and given a demonstration as to how the talking pen will function with the help of a demo book. The team has completed making the touchpoints, and now the audio will be prepared for the respective content”.
