The impact of the robot, called Shiksha, on education in Karnataka is nothing short of transformative. Its engaging presence and interactive teaching style captivate students, making learning a joyous experience.
In the heart of Karnataka, an innovative and capturing tool is making waves in the education sector. The brainchild of Akshay Mashelkar, a former lecturer at Chaitanya MES PU College in Sirsi, Shiksha is not your ordinary classroom assistant. It is a humanoid robot teacher designed to make learning engaging, interactive and most importantly fun for students up to class 4.
Akshay, who is 31 years old and holds an MSc in Physics from Karnataka University, specialising in Electronics, primarily deploys Shiksha during physical education or free classes, typically incorporating it into 4-5 classes per day within a school.
Akshay personally handles all maintenance, updates, and associated expenses for Shiksha’s operations.
Shiksha was Mashelkar’s dream that started to take form in 2018. It took an investment of Rs 1.85 lakh and hard work of 1.5 years for him to complete the development of the robot teacher, and the project was initiated in 2021.
Shiksha’s appearance was deliberately crafted to resemble a school kid, creating an immediate connection with young learners. It is a robotic figure, dressed in a blue school uniform with neatly tied plaits and an ID card around its neck. As Shiksha begins its lessons, the children are entranced, their eyes glued to the robot teacher as they enthusiastically repeat the lessons after their mechanical tutor.
Also Read: Smartphones bringing kids closer to studies in rural India
But Shiksha is more than just a visually appealing presence in the classroom. It’s a pedagogical powerhouse that engages students across a spectrum of subjects. Its interactive teaching style encourages students to participate actively, reinforcing their learning and helping them internalise complex concepts with ease.
Shiksha, the robot teacher, can teach many things, including Kannada rhymes, English rhymes, days of the week, shapes, English alphabets and multiplication tables.
Operating the robot is easy. Users need to push a button to activate it. Once activated, a master card with relevant subject information has to be placed in its right hand. Each subject corresponds to a different master card. As of now, the robot teacher is designed to provide instruction up to class 4. Mashelkar has plans to enhance its capabilities for use in higher classes too.
However, Shiksha does have limitations and cannot function in real-time, and cannot respond to queries or commands like other AI systems such as Alexa or Siri.
Mashelkar’s goal is to demonstrate how integrating technology into education can yield extraordinary results. The current generation of students, who are avid tech enthusiasts, appreciates his innovation as it bridges the gap between conventional teaching methods and modern technology.
“The method of transmitting information has been constant,” said Mashelkar, who has a background in physics and a specialisation in electronics. He was bothered about how, despite the technological advancements in other sectors, rural schools lacked the interactive teaching tools that could enhance the learning experience.
“Except for some small innovations and new tools such as projectors and smartboards, no headway has been made. However, the expanse of technology is much wider, and we need to leverage that information to create better educational tools,” he added.
Also Read: 80% of rural parents wish to see their kids finish college
Currently, Akshay possesses just one Shiksha humanoid robot due to limited funding constraints. He has been taking Shiksha to various schools in and around Sirsi, including villages like Isalooru and Karkala, and most recently, he generously shared Shiksha with a friend in Tamil Nadu, who introduced it to a government school there.
For Mashelkar, the motivation goes beyond monetary gains. His primary goal is to catalyse change in rural education and teaching methods.
“For instance, the cognitive development of a rural student of class 8 is equivalent to that of a class 3 student in urban areas, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic,” he said.
To address these challenges, he has established a research centre known as Sri Vikram Sarabhai Club that facilitates the procurement of essential materials for science exhibitions, ensuring that rural children have access to necessary resources. Additionally, he has maintained a repository of educational toys at the centre, which has proven to be highly beneficial for rural students.
Shiksha’s impact on education in Karnataka is nothing short of transformative. Its engaging presence and interactive teaching style captivate students, making learning a joyous experience.
“When we tried teaching multiplication tables ourselves, they would often get bored and sulk and ask us to stop for the day. However, when Shiksha took on the task of teaching them multiplication tables, it was a different story. The kids would laugh, have fun and at the same time effortlessly learn their tables,” said Sunaina Hegde, a primary school teacher.
Watch: Right to education: Where there is a wall, there is a way
On June 30 this year, Mashelkar resigned from his job at the college to shift his entire focus to the development of prototype 2 of Shiksha, which is going to be launched soon. This will feature screens and integrated AI capabilities, and aims to compete with robots from China and Japan in the market. It’s designed to provide educational support to students up to class 7.
Shiksha has made its way to approximately 10-15 schools, spanning both government and privately run institutions, where it received an overwhelmingly positive response and provided an excellent platform for Akshay to showcase its capabilities to students.
The lead image at the top shows school students posing with their humanoid robot teacher, Shiksha (Photo by Apta Ramesh)
Apta Ramesh is a former television show producer and presently a freelance journalist.
