ADILABAD: Contrary to beliefs that the revolution is just starting, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly common in our lives — be it in terms of personalised recommendations on popular OTT platforms, voice assistants, fraud detection or medical analysis. Experts believe that children are one of the biggest stakeholders in this new-age transformation and exhort that the future generation be made aware of its advantages, possibilities and flaws.
In a giant leap towards digital inclusivity, the Zilla Parishad Secondary School (ZPSS) in Maskapur village under Kanapur mandal of Nirmal district introduced computer education for students from Classes 7 to 10 last week. Apart from providing basic digital literacy, the course also includes cutting-edge technologies such as AI. For this, a laboratory with 10 computers has been set up with the help of the Nobel Education Empowerment Society (NEES), an organisation aimed at social development.
Speaking to TNIE, headmaster Narender says there are 750 students in the school but they didn’t have access to any computer or internet. “However, due to the efforts of district officials and NEES, the situation has improved considerably. The students are enthusiastically taking part in learning the fundamentals of computers and other courses such as AI while the teachers are guiding them through the process,” he adds.
Narender explains that the students have been divided into batches and trained teachers provide the special training.A Class 10 student, P Ashmitha, says, “In today’s era, computer knowledge is essential for everyone. Traditionally, only a few private schools offer it, but we are happy to have the opportunity to learn about computers and new-age technologies such as AI.”
Another Class 10 student, K Kavya, mentions, “Knowing the basics of computers has become extremely essential in our lives. Currently, we are learning how to use the internet, which is an entirely new experience for us.”Such learnings help a student in life even after the exams, she adds.
When asked about the reason for such an initiative, NEES head Danturi Suresh tells TNIE, “I faced many challenges to complete my education. I understand the obstacles students face, especially those from marginalised or underprivileged backgrounds. No child should have to face difficulties in acquiring an education. To overcome such issues, we are providing the facilities in government schools with the support of generous donors.”
Our goal is to impact 25 schools; currently, two are successfully running, and another two are set to commence in March in the tribal mandal of Pembi in the Nirmal district.”
The NEES, in partnership with the state government, wants to establish such laboratories in 25 schools across the state, he says. Currently, it has two active facilities while another two in Pembi mandal are slated to be opened by March.
Suresh mentions that the initiative was picked up by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
It must be noted that the CBSE has already introduced AI as a skill module in classes 6 to 8 and as a skill subject in classes 9 to 12. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has teamed up with Microsoft to introduce AI in government schools and the Andhra Pradesh government has set up a panel to explore the introduction of AI in the school curriculum.