Odisha: State-run blind school to get smart Braille classroom

Odisha’s government-run school will soon get a state-of-the-art smart Braille classroom for the blind at Burla in Sambalpur district, a PTI report stated.

The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) for this purpose on Thursday, December 21, an official said.

As per the MoU, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) will provide the funds for developing the smart Braille classroom, while the corporation will execute the project, SMC commissioner Vedbhushan said.

The Principal of the government school for the blind, Susama Sahu, said that the smart classroom will make learning easy and interesting for the visually impaired students. The students here will also gain technical knowledge.

The smart Braille classroom represents a cutting-edge, interactive learning approach equipped with an audio system and a distinctive feature designed to capture and analyse children's usage patterns.

Annie, a comprehensive Braille self-learning device, that makes learning fun, engaging, and intuitive for blind students will be used to teach the students in the smart classroom for the visually impaired, added PTI.

A teacher from the school said Annie is a learning system that uses touch-friendly devices to teach. It guides students with a friendly voice, so they don't need constant help.

However, the teacher suggested that training for educators on the smart Braille classroom concept would be essential before its launch.