Coimbatore: Exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) applications, robotics, and online tools is no longer the sole privilege of students from wealthy families. In its bid to shape a tech-savvy generation beyond socioeconomic barriers, the state is currently training students from government schools, who are primarily from middle, lower and poor families with AI applications, coding and interactive online tools.For now, the Initiative – Tamil Nadu Schools Program for Knowledge of AI, Robotics and Online Tools (TN Spark) – The academic year has started on a pilot basis only for students from Class VI to IX. In the Coimbatore area, 85 government schools are eligible for TN Spark. Among them are 78 middle schools, four high schools, and three high schools. Teaching faculties at these schools welcomes this move. “As part of the syllabus, separate textbooks are prepared in bilingual format, with one page in English and a page in Tamil faces. The Institute of Education and Training Care has taken care of mathematics and science teachers to teach the syllabus.” He says that TN Spark classes are assigned a week or two periods per week. “People want to learn to use computers to access online applications, which offers the same opportunities as private schools.” The program uses at least 880 Hi-Tech Lab Computers. “We start with the basics and after the quarterly exams, classes start in earnest in October,” says Balamurali. K Kannan, principal of the Government High School in Arasol, says that students from government schools want to improve their learning skills and explore advanced skills. “It's a very good program and Hi-Tech Labs are used effectively for it. Students show great interest whenever they have these sessions, compared to regular classroom lessons.” Students will be introduced to emerging technologies through structured modules. “The curriculum covers the fundamentals of computer science, such as algorithms, flow charts, word processing, data visualization, and more. Online educational tools will travel through science, maps, anatomy and language learning. Meanwhile, coding adventures attract students to blockwriters, turtle art and scratch activities, along with HTML basics and cyber safety, teachers say. “The new trends prepare them for the future.”
