A Japanese metropolis plans to make use of robots to allow pupils to attend courses nearly, as truancy charges surge because of anxiousness and bullying, officers mentioned Wednesday.
Kids will be capable of use units at house to remotely maneuver robots that signify them at college, permitting them to participate in courses and discussions with schoolmates, the southern metropolis of Kumamoto mentioned.
Like different international locations, Japan has seen an increase in youngsters not attending college following the COVID-19 pandemic, with causes for being absent starting from problem becoming in to bullying, in line with a authorities probe.
The one-meter (three-foot) tall robots shall be self-propelling, with pupils in a position to transfer them inside the college grounds and even take part in occasions, reviews mentioned.
“Speaking by means of these robots shouldn’t be fully real-life, however can at the very least give a sure sense of actuality to youngsters who’re nonetheless uncertain and afraid of interacting with others,” Maki Yoshizato, a Kumamoto metropolis official, instructed AFP.
“We hope this endeavor will assist alleviate their psychological fears.”
Throughout Japan, the variety of truant pupils at elementary and center college ranges hit an all-time excessive of 244,940 in fiscal yr 2021, in line with the most recent training ministry survey.
The robots initiative, which Kumamoto hopes to roll out as early as November, pending finances approval, comes after the tech-savvy metropolis launched digital lecture rooms within the “metaverse” to deal with truancy.
“This can be very vital to present pupils unable to go to high school extra choices to review,” Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi instructed reporters final month.
© 2023 AFP
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