Jammu and Kashmir administration launches 'Talaash' app for mapping out-of-school children

Jammu and Kashmir Samagra Shiksha has rolled out a mobile app for mapping of “out-of-school children (OOSC)”. Dr Arun Manhas, Project Director of Jammu and Kashmir Samagra Shiksha, virtually launched the app named ‘Talaash’ on Friday, 26 March. The app is aimed at tracking and monitoring of OOSC kids as they are enrolled in schools and special training programmes. It can be used on smartphones by teachers, parents and others conducting the mapping/surveys. “The OOSC programme aims to enumerate and keep track of OOSC in a timely manner through intensive data analysis and monitoring,” Manhas was quoted as saying by PTI. He added, “COVID-19 has made the use of technology in education most imminent and EdTech initiatives have grown leaps and bounds in the past year. The OOSC programme includes mobile and a web-based app which will help in data collection related to out-of-school children. Samagra Shikhsa, Velocity Software, and UNICEF teamed up for the app’s development and made it possible within a span of 2-3 months. The ‘Talaash’ app will make the survey process of OOSC children easier and accurate by digital means. The Union territory has an estimated 27,500 out-of-school children (OOSC), comprising two categories - never enrolled and dropouts. With inputs from PTI