The Punjab government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with edtech platform ConveGenius to strengthen the Department of School Education’s blended learning program. As part of the program, weekly assessments will be conducted for primary grades, that is, for classes 1 to 5, which will be launched on August 16.

The program consists of weekly assessments for learning and students can learn at their own pace, following the curriculum as per the state board. The aim of the course is to reduce the learning gap among students from the low-resource setting and make up for the loss in education that has occurred due to the shutdown of schools amid the pandemic.

The weekly assessments will identify the weak points of the student and provide content recommendations based on the work required in those particular areas. It enables every stakeholder in the education system of the state to monitor student performances from an individual level to the district level as well as curate better teaching practices, says ConveGenius.

The artificial intelligence-based edtech platform uses interactive, child-friendly, and adaptive learning methods that can be accessed through a WhatsApp chatbot, tablets, or computer labs in schools.

The platform aims to help students to access foundational learning activities in subjects like mathematics, Punjabi, English, and science by using one smartphone. “Since multiple users can access their classes from one Whatsapp number, it becomes even more accessible to students in rural areas and lower-middle-class families. We are awaiting the results to be reflected in the entire state,” said Jagtar Singh Kularia, Director, SCERT.

“When the pandemic started, the biggest challenge we faced was tackling the lack of resources for online classes,” added Kularia.

Last year, the model was launched only in Patiala district but has now been extended across the state, said Rahul Garg, Program Head, ConveGenius. More than 18 million monthly active students have been registered across several states, claims ConveGenius.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here