Members of the We4You, a student voluntary group that is recording the syllabi for visually impaired students. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, April 4: Learning for visually impaired students would now become easier because of the efforts of a group of student volunteers who have come forward to record the syllabi of Classes VIII to X in audio format.

Named “We4You”, the group comprises more than 300 people, including former students from various colleges in the state as well from other parts of the eastern zone. They have already started this pilot project titled “Vision” at a local studio here.

“There is not enough study material for visually impaired students. Since they are known to be careful listeners, we decided to make the most of this advantage. We have started recording their syllabi on CDs, to which they can listen and recollect,” said Abhay Kumar Mohanta, one of the brains behind the project.

The matter, which contains chapters from all subjects except mathematics, has been prepared by experienced school teachers. The group is also being guided by the Orissa Association for the Blind in this regard.

“For every student, around 30 to 35 CDs are being recorded to cover the entire syllabi. We would also give them DVD players and headsets. The instruments would be kept under the care of the school authorities,” said Mohanta, adding that there were around 5,000 visually-impaired students in 53 institutions across the state.

The recording process, which is expected to be completed by the end of May, would cost around Rs 3 lakh. “We are approaching several voluntary organisations, corporate bodies and philanthropists to meet the expenses,” said Mohanta.

In the first phase, the materials would be distributed to 300 students in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul and Jajpur. The students would be provided the instruments for three hours in the presence of the school authorities who would have to maintain a record – names of students and in-charge, as well as the chapters learnt.

“The records would be collected on a monthly basis from the institutions concerned and the materials provided shall be repaired in case of any damage. We would also need the support of youngsters and retired persons to monitor the sessions so avoid misutilisation of the instruments,” said Uday Kumar Sahoo, a former student of C. V. Raman College of Engineering and member of We4You.

The group is also trying to secure a tie-up with the school and mass education department for carrying out the project effectively.

“Depending on the success of our project, we would definitely try to extend it to other parts of the state. The CDs would also contain requisite study material for students in Plus II and degree classes,” said Sahoo.