The mathematics teacher of the government middle school in Bhalubasa, Akhilesh Kumar is a happy man. He can now take the attendance of students, assess then and take a class test, all digitally.

An initiative titled SmartShala, an upgraded version of digital learning and assessment in schools, has made it easier for government school teachers like Kumar and others to teach their lessons on an LCD screen and assess them regularly on a digital platform. Enabled by an organisation, Hurrey, founded by Mumbai-based Abhishek Chakraborty, the SmartShala helps students learn their lessons digitally even without a real-time internet connection and includes a range of assessment measures through a mobile app.

SmartShala was implemented as a pilot project at the Bhalubasa school in East Singhbhum. But the initiative has already been implemented in 86 schools in Simdega; 74 schools in Dhanbad and 53 schools in Ranchi.

Chakraborty, who visited the school on Tuesday with his team, said he hoped the SmartShala would keep children excited and engaged in class. “For any smart class to function, a school needs real-time Internet connection. In rural areas, schools do not have even proper electricity supply. SmartShala just requires an LCD screen connected to the magic box which can be controlled with a smartphone. While smart classes provide static content, at SmartShala one can actually digitally test students on how much they have learnt. It is an interface,” said Chakraborty.

He added that SmartShala not only has digital content but a system to assess the individual student’s performance after every lesson which is projected in charts to understand each child’s strengths and weaknesses.

SmartShala also helps register student and teachers attendance every day. The mobile application has three login IDs and password, one with the teacher, school administration and district head, to check the regular progress of students. It can be operated with 350 watt solar power making it work efficiently in rural schools.

“For me, the digital assessment is a blessing,” maths teacher Kumar said. “After every lesson with objective questions, I click the pictures of students’ answer sheets and upload them on the mobile app to get their results within a few seconds. The teacher’s efficiency increases because the time that goes into assessment is saved. We implemented the project in November and students are having fun. Students have individual reports per lesson,” said Kumar.

Learning competencies have always been an issue with state-run schools. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019, only 31.4 per cent Class III students could read a textbook meant for Class I students.

“Jharkhand has a programme, Gyansetu, to help slow learners,” Kumar said. “But initiatives like Smartshala will help.”

East Singhbhum DC Ravi Shankar Shukla told The Telegraph that they would do what it takes to “improve learning outcomes in class”. “It’s good to see government school children embrace digital learning,” he said.