Sachin Joshi Transcript

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The Transcript (for the 5-minute video)

Jane: You’ve really created a truly innovative movement with your AI on wheels. What started it?

Sachin:

I began with the Education on Wheel, which is a mobile school for under-privileged children almost 6 years back. This must provide door to door education to the children living in the slum, including my city, that is Nasik. I want to do something for them. For me, Vivekananda. He quoted, if the poor child cannot come to the education, then education must reach him at doorstep. And this inspired me and I started Education on Wheel.

We have got 19,000 out of school children for the mainstream. In the last 16 years, Education on Wheels actively work in the slum. Many reports say that more than 50 % of grade 6 students have a knowledge of grade 2. This is very shocking. They are unable to read and lack basic foundation literacy. This is alarming.

How I move to AI on wheels ⁓ is a very interesting story. I started exploring AI and when I read a book by Mr. Sal Khan owner of Khan Academy, his book how AI can revolutionize education and this book changed my mindset. So I thought why not make AI learning tool bus and that’s how India’s first AI on wheel bus was invented for the underprivileged children. Again why only underprivileged children?

Because I strongly believe that the technology should be used at the grass root level as technology brings equality in the society. It does not differ between rich or poor. The only issue is that the poor children cannot access technology and I am proud to say that my bus is a meditator to implement this technology at the grass root levels.

Jane: Can you describe what the bus is like.

Sachin:

See I have personally designed this AI bus. This is India’s first bus which expands beyond its original size. It’s a hydraulic system which opens up a chassis platform on the left side for better access to the students. This bus is well equipped with the library, with more than 100 books, recording studio, 3D printer, 3D pen, more than 20 tabs, smart interactive boards, 2 LED screens, virtual reality set that we call VR on the top solar panel on the rooftop.

So the students of government schools usually don’t get a platform to express their vocal skills. Hence I installed a recording studio in the bus so that this student will get a platform to present their vocal talent. I have made the curriculum of grade 1 and 10 available in 3D VR set. So this bus is also well equipped with the high-speed internet which is easily accessible during the bus visit in rural area in India. Everywhere is not internet. So this bus across the world we can connect with this student through the Zoom or Google meet. So this bus is completely techno hub in any rural area of India.

Jane: How does it flow?

Sachin:

We have two type of student in various schools. Many of them lack a foundation literacy. They can’t read ⁓ and write.

So we are providing these children with Google AI learning tools which is helping them to read. And we are teaching coding, machine learning, data science, robotics through the AI bus to the other students of grade 5 or 6 who have strong academic foundation or grade level knowledge. In short, AI on Wheel bus at a two different level. One, it’s helped the underperforming student to improve their academic, through AI learning tools

And second, helps the intellectual ones to learn the 21st century skills like robotics, data science. We have a proper team for the AI bus. It includes techno-savvy teachers, social workers, driver, attendant and most important are the mentors from various fields who volunteer and contribute to this team including my better half Dr. Prajakta.

We first identify the nearby government school, then we identify the students who are weak in reading; who can’t read. Currently we are visiting 3 schools daily and teaching coding to the students of these schools who are academically strong and those who are under-performers we are working to develop their reading skills through AI learning tools. Most important every Saturday we visit various government schools around the city and conduct a 3-hour robotic workshop for the students.

So in a year almost we cover approximately 50 different government schools.