Let’s help every child to read
Today, many children, especially in the global south, are engaged in an invisible struggle to be at the level of competency that their grade demands. This is particularly true of basic skills such as reading in their primary language of instruction.
What is AXL
AXL ( Assisted Language and Math Learning) is a system led, AI-powered, teacher -supported initiative that helps children read.
AXL is being deployed by educational systems and communities across India, covering thousands of schools and community centers already.
AXL as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
AXL can be leveraged as DPI - it offers complete data sovereignty, is flexible and robust, and is designed for use in low resource environments.
How AXL works: The concept of safe spaces
Why do children in our schools find it so difficult to learn basic skills such as language?
Let’s place ourselves in a Grade 6 classroom in rural or semi-urban India. The scene is lively with boys and girls engaging in various activities - some are attentively listening to the teacher, while others chat or daydream, showing varied levels of engagement with the lesson. Despite the teacher's efforts to involve everyone, the reality is that students react differently to the lessons, with some actively participating and others losing interest or finding it hard to keep up.
This classroom dynamic reflects a broader challenge in education systems everywhere, in which students often get slotted into groups according to their ability to follow along in class.
‘Strivers’ manage to follow the curriculum. ‘Strugglers’ try hard but face difficulties, and ‘Drowners' are at risk of falling behind and dropping out. As many children are first-generation learners without much educational support at home, these scenarios keep getting repeated and amplified.
The existing educational frameworks usually lack the necessary remedial measures to address each student's unique needs, leaving some children feeling left out and disheartened.
Safe spaces
Children that feel left out need a non-judgmental space to learn and practice language skills in. A personalized learning programme that provides the caring attention they need, and gives them the time to practice at their own pace, can create such a “Safe Space”. The aim of AXL is to do this - create a safe space where there is no judgement, no pressure, no evaluation, but an abundance of engagement, personalized guidance and joyful learning.
AXL leverages AI to create safe spaces for language learning
Components of the AI-powered AXL Toolkit
For child at home
Chatbot for the child at home Personalised student assistant at home
For child at school
School practice assistant Personalised learning assistant in the school computer lab.
For teacher at school
Teacher assistant at school Teacher assistant that helps her/him deliver personalised instruction that helps every child in the class achieve learning levels.
For child in community
Personalized diagnostics tool & community learning assistant for ease of achieving reading for all
The AXL program provides personalized, empathetic support to remedial learners without making them feel embarrassed by assessment or comparison with peers. Through a diagnostic approach, the program identifies the specific areas each child struggles with, such as syllable combinations, and then helps them master these through practice. This individualized method allows students to improve at their own pace, aiming to bridge the gap in their learning journey without the pressure of competition.
Does it work?
In early experiments, the AXL programme has shown remarkable results - most children who underwent the programme for a period of 6 to 9 weeks have shown dramatic improvements in their levels of reading.
Mission
To empower students and teachers with precision diagnostic tools that will make reading a non issue in all languages across India.
Team
AXL has been developed by the EkStep Foundation in collaboration with AI4Bharat.
Let’s talk!
We’d love to collaborate and spread the vision.
For queries, to request a demo, or for any other information, please write to us at pritha@ekstepplus.org
