Almora teacher’s AI initiative brings offline digital learning to students in remote hill areas

Bageshwar: At a time when poor connectivity continues to challenge education in Uttarakhand's remote hill regions, a headmaster of a primary school in Almora is pushing boundaries by using artificial intelligence (AI) to create accessible learning apps for students with little or no internet access.Bhaskar Joshi, headmaster of Mateeladhura Primary School in remote Tarikhet block, recently developed an app called No Internet Quiz, which allows children to learn, practise and assess themselves without any network or data connection.Joshi said his interest in building such tools took shape during the pandemic, when school closures and online classes laid bare the digital divide between urban and rural areas. Determined to bridge that gap through technology, he began developing educational apps and has continued to expand his efforts since."Children here have talent, curiosity and the desire to learn. What they don't have are resources. I wanted technology to reach them, not the other way around," Joshi told TOI.Before No Internet Quiz, he created a suite of locally relevant, user-friendly learning apps, including Bajela Online Education, AI–Teacher, English Guru, Learn ABC, Innovative Fun Learning, AI Quiz Generator and Uttara Shakti AI. With all eight educational applications available on the Play Store, Joshi has become Uttarakhand's first Google Certified Educator.For students such as Nikita Bisht, a Class 5 student, these apps have transformed how the family's phone is used at home, despite the absence of mobile connectivity. "Now, we study and play quizzes on it. Even without the internet, the questions appear and we know if our answers are right or wrong," she said.Beyond app development, Joshi has led efforts to integrate modern technology into early learning at his school, which has since emerged as a model for primary education. Children from remote villages have been introduced to advanced concepts such as drone operation, artificial intelligence and robotics.Currently, 23 students are enrolled at the school, and Joshi has personally visited their homes to motivate parents and explain the progressive teaching methods being adopted at the primary level. "My goal is to scale these initiatives so they can reach a much larger number of children," he said.Education officials have taken note of his work. District education officer (Basic) Ravi Mehta said such grassroots innovations were vital for remote hill districts. "These apps help reduce the digital divide and can be scaled up in future. We have written to the directorate regarding this initiative," he said.