In a significant stride toward enhancing foundational literacy in India, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, officially launched IIT Bombay’s innovative reading fluency assessment tool – TARA (Teacher’s Assistant for Reading Assessment), at the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam 2025 held in New Delhi.
Developed by Prof. Preeti Rao from the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay, and her research team, TARA is a cutting-edge mobile application designed to evaluate Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) in children using voice-based artificial intelligence. The app measures reading attributes such as word decoding accuracy, reading pace, and expressive intonation, aligning with the foundational learning goals of the NIPUN Bharat Mission.
TARA utilizes patented audio signal processing technology and is powered by an AI engine trained on expert-annotated recordings of children reading texts at various skill levels. This ensures consistent, objective evaluation based on standardized rubrics, giving teachers actionable insights into individual student performance.
The project has been supported both financially and technically by the Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD) at IIT Bombay and the Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship (2020–2025).
Adding further momentum to this initiative, IIT Bombay and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to scale the deployment of this digital ORF assessment platform across Indian schools. The MoU was signed by Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, and Mr. Aman Sharma, Secretary, NCERT.
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As part of the implementation, year-long assessments will be conducted using level-appropriate reading passages in both English and regional Indian languages. The system will offer a real-time dashboard to monitor reading proficiency trends across schools, grades, and regions. At the student level, a personalized report card will detail performance metrics like accuracy, words correct per minute (WCPM), pace, and expression. Moreover, the feedback will be mapped to curricular learning outcomes, enabling educators to address learning gaps effectively and adapt instruction accordingly.
This strategic collaboration between academia and policy aims to usher in a data-driven approach to literacy evaluation, empowering teachers and improving educational outcomes at scale.
