TIRUCHY: School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, completed the process for his doctoral research on Monday after presenting the findings of his study on how machine learning-based assessments of structured physical activity could enhance the holistic development of schoolchildren, during a public viva-voce held at National College in Tiruchy.

Poyyamozhi, who has been pursuing his PhD since 2021 defended his thesis titled ‘Physical Activity for Skill Development Through Machine Learning’.

The viva was conducted on Monday evening at the college’s indoor stadium.

His research was supervised by T Prasanna Balaji, deputy principal and director of the Department of Physical Education at National College, while S Thirumalai Kumar of TN Physical Education and Sports University served as the external examiner.

During his 30-minute presentation, the minister explained how structured physical education activities could enhance academic performance, communication skills and behavioural development among students across government, government-aided and private schools.

His study employed AI-driven machine learning tools to assess the impact of physical activity on children’s cognitive, social and overall growth.

The public viva saw Poyyamozhi emphasise that physical education continues to be undervalued in mainstream schooling despite its proven role in improving student engagement and learning outcomes. Senior officials, including principal school education secretary Dr B Chandra Mohan and Tiruchy Collector V Saravanan, attended the session.

The evaluation report will now be forwarded to Bharathidasan University for final approval.