The DILGIRIM mobile app in Kyrgyz and Russian is now available for download on Google Play. The app contains a speech-improvement picture book for 1^st class of special school for hearing-impaired children and allows them to learn in a quicker, easier and more engaging way.

The application was developed by the Technoland Public Foundation with the support of UNDP and UNICEF in the Kyrgyz Republic and is a supplement to the Dilgir-1 textbook. The Technoland PF worked together with the methodological council of the Special General Education Elementary School for Hearin-Impaired Children in Bishkek to develop the application.

The bilingual application has the potential to improve educational opportunities and allows children with hearing impairments to overcome communication barriers more easily and accelerate the learning process. The main advantage of this digital tool is that it is designed in Russian and Kyrgyz. Previously, instruction was only in Russian and this was due to the fact that only Russian sign language, Russian dactyl and textbooks in Russian were used throughout the former Soviet Union. However, most hearing-impaired children in Kyrgyzstan are of Kyrgyz nationality. Ignorance of words in their native language combined with sensory impairment leads to the isolation of such children in society, alienates them from their families and loved ones.

Children with hearing impairments in the regions of the country are in particular need of instruction in the Kyrgyz language. And at the end of March, the developers of DILGIRIM introduced this application to the staff of the Special General Education Boarding School for Deaf Children in Kara-Suu city during a seminar.

"DILGIRIM" consists of five sections, which include flash cards on the specified topics, accompanied by dactyl, and interactive games to check the level of mastering of each topic and consolidation of the learned material. It also includes voice accompaniment of words to connect the residual hearing of hearing-impaired children.

As Rena Sultangazieva, chairperson of the Technoland PF, notes, the app was demonstrated at the event. "We showed how the application works and parents of children with hearing impairment, so that children could also study at home with its help and consolidate material. In addition, the application works offline and children do not need the Internet, which is especially important for the residents of the regions", - said the specialist.

This initiative is a continuation of the Inno KG project implemented by UNDP and UNICEF in 2020. Earlier within its framework three mobile applications "My Family", "My World" and "Arithmetic" based on the preschool educational program were developed.

Media contacts:

Chyntemir Kalbaev

UNDP Communications Assistant

chyntemir.kalbaev@undp.org

+996775767605