PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat has claimed that the Vidya Sameeksha Kendra (VSK) established by the Uttarakhand government has proved to be an effective medium for innovations, transparency and digital monitoring of the education system of the State.
The officers of the School Education department inform that the weekly learning progress of the students is being continuously monitored through the VSK. Subject-specific quizzes and remedial teaching materials are being provided under the Saksham programme. They further inform that real-time student attendance is being recorded through the ‘Meri attendance’ chatbot. This allows identification of the students habituated to absenteeism and implementation of timely interventions to reduce dropout rates. The ‘Shikshak Sahayak’ chatbot is also proving useful for teachers in providing lesson plans, worksheets and instructional videos. Technical and subject-specific training is also being provided to teachers on the e-Sarjan platform. The officers claim that 92 per cent of teachers have completed the training so far which is a significant achievement in capacity building in the State. Additionally, on-site mentoring by cluster resource persons (CRPs) and block resource persons (BRPs) is also being monitored from the VSK.
The VSK has also launched a Jigyasa chatbot to provide information about departmental schemes in simple language. Initiatives such as iron and folic acid and deworming tablet distribution on National Deworming Day, digitization of aptitude test scores and Unified- District Information System for Education (U-DISE) Plus-based analysis have also been launched. These measures have enabled data-driven decisions in scheme implementation. Furthermore, private and aided schools are also being connected to this platform to ensure the all-round development of every child in the State.
New initiatives have also been taken to make the evaluation system more transparent and effective through the VSK. From February 2026, answer sheets will be scanned using OCR technology for the Pahal Diagnostic Assessment for grades IV to IX and the Nipun Endline Assessment for grades I and II which will allow teachers to evaluate online, saving time and providing evaluation reports within 2 to 3 days.
