A report by ASER 2018 report hints that only half of the Class 5 students can read a Class 2 textbook with ease. Therefore, with an aim to improve the overall reading literacy in India, Google has launched a new Android app, dubbed Bolo for children in the country.
Based on Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology, the Bolo app is meant for primary grade students and will help children read content in English and Hindi with an animated character, Diya’s assistance.
The app contains a variety of reading content free of cost, and the initial stories are from Storyweaver.org.in.
Bolo has built-in games, rewards, and badges for a fun experience and allows multiple students to use the app along with the ability to track their progress.
Additionally, the app works offline and ensures the security of the children as the data remains in the app.
The Bolo app was initially launched as a pilot app in 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh state, India, due to which around 64% of students showed improvements in reading ability in just three months.
The Bolo app is available as an open beta via the Google Play Store and will eventually start supporting more Indian languages.
