Sambalpur: A state-of-the-art smart Braille classroom will be set up in Odisha government-run school for the blind at Burla in Sambalpur district, an official said.
The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) for this purpose Thursday, the 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 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.
Principal of the government school for the blind, Susama Sahu said the smart classroom will make learning easy and interesting for the visually impaired students. The students here will also gain technical knowledge.
‘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, she said.
A teacher of 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.
The school for the blind, deaf and dumb was established at Burla in 1972. In the year 1980, the school was taken over by the government.
In the year 1992, the school for the deaf and dumb and school for the blind was separated.
PTI