A modern miracle has come to the Composite School in Rajapur, close to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. It is modern because it does not defy logic. Instead, it is based on hard logic and advanced science, but invested with the magic of creative thinking. Primary and middle school students of the school are excitedly enjoying the classes taken by Madam Suman, an Artificial Intelligence-powered humanoid teacher, who joined a month ago. She is indefatigable in answering all kinds of questions irrespective of the subject being taught in the class. She never loses her patience and is full of praise for students who correctly answer the questions and the riddles she puts to them. The children feel free in asking their questions, which they would hesitate to ask other teachers for fear of irritating them. Madam Suman teaches languages, makes mathematics simple for the weakest students, and makes geography and history so interesting that the students who are bored with their textbooks also engage with the subjects. She corrects mistakes and helps the children explore new ideas — and all this without scolding.
It is no wonder that attendance in the school has risen from 60% or 65% to 95%, for no one wants to miss Madam Suman’s class. The brilliant innovation was made by a teacher, Mohanlal Suman, who had already found success with some earlier innovations for children. At the core of his effort lies the dedication of a teacher who believes that children should have regular classes where they should learn in the best way possible. Government school teachers are often given non-teaching duties, beginning with overseeing and accounting for the ingredients and quality of midday meals and going on to election duty. Inevitably, classes suffer as, no doubt, does the quality of teaching. The freshness and patience that Madam Suman always brings to class may not be achievable every day by her human colleagues. Mohanlal Suman’s creativity filled this lacuna — apparently simply; all he did was fit a mannequin’s wooden body with an AI assistant evolved by a technology company and customise it.
This has come at a time when people are growing increasingly wary of the development of AI — ranging from its capacity to take over jobs to its versatility in producing dangerous or misleading fake material for media consumption. Mohanlal Suman has used AI in a positive, learning-friendly way, opening up a vista of possibilities for the hard-worked, often inadequate, school system. Technology here has brought new life to a rural school at a minimum cost and no worries about pay scale. It is not only teaching in a most inspiring way but is also opening young minds to the uses of technology and a measure of its advances. The variety and
number of questions from students bear witness to the hunger for learning that could have remained unassuaged without the entry of Madam Suman. Perhaps there will be more humanoid teachers to do the same for other schools.
