Recalling a practice from earlier years when children would commonly drop out of schools or quit studying altogether because of language handicaps, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31 the new National Education Policy was helping eradicate such obstacles to learning.
In his final ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address in the outgoing year, Prime Minister Modi said the Centre’s endeavour is that language should not become a hindrance to education and the holistic progress of any child.
“In our country, many children would leave studies midway due to language handicaps. Our new National Education Policy is helping eliminate such obstacles to the process of learning and the holistic development of a child. It is our endeavour that language should not become a hindrance to the education and progress of any child,” PM Modi said 108th episode of his monthly radio broadcast.
The Centre launched the National Education Policy (NEP) on July 29, 2020, seeking to bring sweeping reforms in school education. The government claimed that the policy would ensure universal access at all levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12.
Under the NEP, there will be early childhood care and education for all children between 3-7 years.
It will also introduce a new curricular and pedagogical structure (5+3+3+4) where there will be no matriculation and graduation will be of four years.
Further, during his radio address, PM Modi said the latest edition of the broadcast holds a special place in his heart as compared to the previous ones.
“This is the 108th episode of our shared journey. For me, the number 108 holds great significance and its sanctity is a matter of deep study. 108 beads in a rosary, chanting 108 times, 108 divine sites, 108 stairs in temples, 108 bells, the number 108 is associated with immense faith. That’s why the 108th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is all the more special for me,” he said.
During his address, PM Modi also brought up the Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool ‘Bhashini’, which he used during the Kashi Tamil Sangamam earlier this month for real-time translation for the benefit of his Tamil-speaking audience.
“I was addressing from the stage in Hindi but through the AI tool Bhashini, the people from Tamil Nadu, who were attending the event, could follow my address at the same time as the others. There was noticeable excitement around this new experiment among the visitors to the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam,” he said.
“You can imagine the revolutionary change that could be brought about once this technology is used more widely in our schools, hospitals and courts. I would urge the youth and the future generation to further explore AI tools, especially those pertaining to real-time translations and make them 100 per cent foolproof. In the coming days, the onus will be on them to not just preserve our native languages but also promote them,” PM Modi said.
He said the day is not far when the public will listen to real-time translation of regional films at cinema halls through new-age AI tools.
“The day is not far when an address will be delivered in one language and the public will listen to the same speech in their own language real-time. The same will happen with films, as the audience will follow real-time translation of regional films at a cinema hall,” he added.
Recalling the Kashi-Tamil Sangmam event in Uttar Pradesh, where the indigenous AI-powered Bhashini app ensured proper translation of his words from Hindi to Tamil with ease, he said that the people who participated in the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam were elated by this experiment.
“A few days ago, there was an experiment in Kashi that I would certainly like to share with Mann Ki Baat listeners. You must be aware that thousands of people have reached Kashi from Tamil Nadu to take part in Kashi-Tamil Sangamam. There, for the first time, I used ‘Bhashini’ the Artificial intelligence (AI) tool to communicate with them from a public platform. I was addressing in Hindi from the Dais but thanks to the AI tool Bhashini, the people of Tamil Nadu who were present there were listening to my address in Tamil, translated in real-time,” PM Modi said.
The PM further said that technology is a new beginning and expressed hope that it will help his voice reach the masses more easily.
“That day is not far, when a speech would be delivered in any language, but the audience would be able to listen to the same speech in their language in real time. The same feature would also be available in movies in the future. In which the audience in a theatre hall would get to listen to real-time translations with the help of AI.
He added that such technology would bring ease of functioning in different sectors, including the judiciary and education, once it was implemented there.
“A huge transformation will take place in our schools, hospitals and courts when this technology is extensively used,” he said.
The Prime Minister further urged the young generation to explore AI tools related to real-time translation in a bigger way and also make them 100 per cent full proof.
Earlier on December 17, a real-time Artificial Intelligence-based translation tool was used during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi.
This was done through ‘Bhashini’ for those in the audience who understood Tamil. ‘Bhashini’ is an AI-led language translation system that enables people to speak in their own language while talking to speakers of other Indian languages.
Meanwhile, BJP National President JP Nadda, along with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, heard PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme in Lucknow.
The 107rd edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was aired on November 26, when PM Modi asked the citizens not to organise weddings abroad and urged people of the country to hold wedding celebrations in the country.
The popular programme on All India Radio, Prime Minister Mann Ki Baat, was started on October 3, 2014 and is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month at 11 am. The 30-minute programme completed its 100 episodes on April 30, 2023.
The Mann Ki Baat programme is a platform where the Prime Minister communicates directly with the people of the country. Through this programme, the Prime Minister informs and inspires the people of the country on various topics.
Mann ki Baat has impacted all sections of society, who have been inspired to contribute towards fulfilling the great goals he has set for the nation.
(With inputs from ANI)
