Innovations for inclusive learning showcased at NITI Aayog event

19.01.2022
Twelve start-ups offering socially relevant solutions for inclusive learning presented their innovations at the Assistive Technology Innovation Showcase for Inclusive Education organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, in association with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.

The Assistive Technology Innovation Showcase for inclusive education organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education in association with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog was held on January 19.

Young entrepreneurial minds are leveraging frontier technologies such as AI to create learning tools for autism, dyslexia, hearing and speech impairment, visual impairment, cerebral palsy.

The event was addressed by Subhas Sarkar, minister of state for education, Delhi. He highlighted the provision of NEP 2020 that mandates equitable and inclusive education so that every citizen has an equal opportunity to dream, thrive and contribute to the growth of the nation. He said schools are working to provide all children with special needs accommodation and support mechanisms tailored to suit their requirement, ensuring their full participation and inclusion in the classroom.

Abhay Jere, chief innovation officer, AICTE, stressed the need for innovation in the assistive tech space. He spoke about textbook conversion into Indian Sign Language (ISL) and the ministry’s innovation ecosystem taking forward assistive-tech innovations through incubation and acceleration support.

Manoj Kumar, founder of Social Alpha, said assistive technology for education should not only be considered as a social venture but a solid business model of its own and the same needs to be developed further.

Chapal Khasnabis, head of assistive technology, medical devices and diagnostics at WHO, highlighted access to assistive technology and global best practices and stressed how India can become truly inclusive.

A panel moderated by P.V.M. Rao of IIT Delhi and consisting of Anupam Basu, NIT Durgapur, Anil Prabhakar and Sujata, IIT Madras, discussed research and innovations and partnership required for inclusive education.