A recent article published by The Hindu (November 04, 2019 18:31 IST) talks of how EnglishHelper, with its RightToRead initiative, is helping the public education system in India to achieve better learning outcomes. 

The writer of the article, Alika Kannadasan, lucidly describes the deployment of the RightToRead program in Chennai Middle School, MGR Nagar, a government school based out of Chennai. She talks about ReadToMe®, an AI-powered reading and comprehension software, being used in a grade VII classroom. The article presents a comparison between the brick and mortar education system in India and the ReadToMe® way, that blends tradition with artificial intelligence powered technology. 

ReadToMe®, the multi-sensory AI reading and comprehension software reads out the English textbooks that are a part of the existing curriculum of the school. The teacher can teach lessons by projecting the book onto a screen, and the ReadToMe® software reads every word aloud. The speed of reading can be altered by the teacher  according to students’ needs. “The control lies with teachers. They can highlight words, change the pace of the voice, translate words into the local language of the students,” explains the Global CEO of EnglishHelper, Sanjay Gupta. 

The article covers Sanjay’s background as a global business leader. Before EnglishHelper, Sanjay worked for large corporations in India and around the globe. In 2010, he decided to take the plunge into education partnering with Dr. Venkat Srinivasan. “I met Venkat Srinivasan, a Boston-based entrepreneur and cognitive scientist of Indian origin in 2009, who was working on an interesting technology for learning English.” Sanjay recalls. 

EnglishHelper launched the RightToRead program in 2013, covering six states in India. This technology-enabled initiative has grown multi-fold today reaching millions of students. Impact analysis has been conducted across various regions. 

The article highlights the partnerships that EnglishHelper has with various agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American India Foundation (AIF). In districts such as Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and The Nilgiris, the programme is being sponsored by the local administration. 

The write-up concludes with Sanjay sharing how teachers have embraced the program with  enthusiasm. “Students can learn the language more easily and syllabus is covered as well,” says Sanjay. He adds the initiative has helped students overcome fear of the language.

The original article has been written by Akila Kannadasan and published by The Hindu.
https://www.thehindu.com/education/englishhelper-edt-tech-india-working-across-government-schools/article29879935.ece

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