The SEBA Spoken English App, developed by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA), has gathered global acclaim, ranking as one of the Top 10 free education apps globally on December 7.
Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu proudly shared this achievement on X, sparking curiosity about the SEBA Spoken English App's success, and its widespread recognition.
He posted, “I am happy to share that SEBA Spoken English App is now one of the Top Ten free education App of the world. Kudos to SEBA. @CMOfficeAssam @SchoolEdnAssam @Samagra_Assam”.
The SEBA Spoken English App was launched on July 26 last year.
GPlus looked into the claim, seeking to understand the factors that propelled the SEBA English Spoken App to the fourth position among the world's Top 10 educational apps.
Speaking to GPlus, RC Jain, Chairman of SEBA, shed light on the app's purpose, emphasising its focus on assisting students in Assam preparing for 9th and 10th board exams.
Jain said, “This is the app's second year, and it is performing exceptionally well.” The app incorporates tests for 9th and 10th standard subjects, including a segment dedicated to spoken English, contributing 10 marks to students' board exam assessments.
“Teachers actively engage by setting questions and evaluating students' performance. Assessment exams are conducted within a seven-day window, allowing flexibility for students to participate at their convenience,” Jain explained.
Speaking to GPlus, Shubasmit Malakar, the mastermind behind the app, discussed the challenges faced by SEBA in teaching spoken English and the innovative solution provided by the app.
“Over 15 lakh students downloaded the SEBA Spoken English App in 2022, and there are 8.17 lakh active downloads currently,” Malakar claimed.
Shubasmit Malakar, the CEO of Trusnetix Technology Pvt Ltd, a Guwahati-based start-up, has played a pivotal role in the development of the SEBA English Spoken App.
Emphasising the SEBA Spoken English App's mission, Malakar stated, “The application is designed to assist students in becoming fluent in English communication across Assam.”
He elaborated on the SEBA Spoken English App's evolution, pointing out that traditional methods relied on textbooks and CDs, limiting student engagement.
“To overcome this, we integrated auto-artificial intelligence technology into the SEBA Spoken English App, aiming to bring all students of Assam to the same level of knowledge,” Malakar said.
In 2022, over 3.3 lakh 9th-grade students from Assam registered, and in 2023, this number increased to 3.5 lakh.
Additionally, 3.7 lakh 10th-grade students registered in 2022, bringing the overall student registration count to 7 lakh," Malakar, the one who designed the app informed GPlus.
In Assam, the standard of English language teaching in the Assamese medium secondary schools has been poor. There is also less number of teachers who are trained to teach English in Assam.