In a momentous leap towards modernizing the realm of education, Kerala has embarked on an innovative venture by integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its educational materials. The state has revealed intentions to incorporate AI learning segments into the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum tailored for Class 7 students.
This maneuver stands poised to influence over 4 lakh students throughout Kerala, who will soon have the chance to explore the domain of AI in the forthcoming academic term, as per an announcement by the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) issued on Wednesday.
CEO Anvar Sadath of KITE stated that within the ‘Computer Vision’ chapter, students will engage in crafting their personal AI program capable of discerning human facial expressions. “This program will possess the capacity to detect up to seven varied emotions exhibited on an individual’s visage. It marks a pioneering instance in India where students are being afforded a standardized AI learning experience,” he remarked. The imminent Academic Year, set to commence on June 3, will introduce fresh ICT textbooks for Classes I, III, V, and VII across Malayalam, English, Tamil, and Kannada mediums.
The educational framework accentuates the fostering of children’s critical thinking, analytical prowess, and problem-solving acumen, all integral to their comprehensive development. Within this framework, significant stress has been laid upon cultivating logical cogitation and programming proficiencies in the ICT textbooks aimed at the elementary level, Sadath elaborated. The inclusion of the ‘PictoBlox’ suite, alongside the ‘Scratch’ software facilitating visual programming, seeks to empower students to hone their skills in programming, AI, robotics, and the like.
KITE, functioning as the technological arm of the Department of General Education, will furnish all requisite software for these endeavors in the laptops deployed across schools. Sadath mentioned that the new ICT textbooks for Classes I and III incorporate Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) based educational applications like GCompris, eduActiv8, OmniTux, and TuxPaint, covering aspects of drawing, literacy, language acquisition, numeracy, operations, and rhythmic understanding.
Furthermore, KITE-developed applications such as Traffic Signal aim to familiarize children with traffic regulations, while also imparting insights into waste management through interactive gaming formats. Additionally, language labs find inclusion within the new textbooks.
“The fresh ICT textbooks present pragmatic ICT pursuits that nurture vital life skills, concurrently aiding in the study of other disciplines and offering counsel on cyber safety and the identification of misinformation,” Sadath appended.
The communiqué detailed that KITE initiated AI training sessions for 80,000 secondary school educators commencing May 2, with 20,120 teachers having completed the training thus far. Minister V Sivankutty of General Education has already issued directives to provide training to all primary school instructors on the new ICT textbooks from June onwards, slated for introduction in subsequent academic years for Classes II, IV, VI, VIII, IX, and X, it concluded.