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A metropolis in Japan is tackling an increase in truancy with the assistance of a robotic assistant that officers hope will encourage absentee youngsters to attend lessons remotely and ultimately coax them again to high school.Two robots outfitted with microphones, audio system and cameras are anticipated to look in lecture rooms in November in Kumamoto, south-west Japan, in line with the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.Though academics will proceed to be current, town’s board of schooling hopes that the addition of the 1-metre-high, self-propelling robots will assist absent youngsters overcome their nervousness and provides them the arrogance to return to in-person schooling.College students studying remotely might be linked to the tablet-equipped robots through their laptops, permitting them to “attend” the identical classes as their classmates and participate in discussions, the Mainichi stated.The robots is not going to be confined to the classroom, nonetheless; native schooling authorities say they are going to be free to roam faculty premises and even participate in occasions.The board determined to introduce the measure amid concern over an increase within the variety of truant youngsters lately – a phenomenon apparently accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.It stated 2,760 youngsters of major and junior highschool age within the metropolis weren’t attending lessons within the 2022 tutorial 12 months – the fourth consecutive annual rise since 1,283 college students had been listed as absent in 2018.In January, colleges in Kumamoto employed instructing assistants to stream lessons to allow absentee college students to affix on-line – a transfer welcomed by the kids themselves. In suggestions, one stated the digital classroom had helped them with their vanity, whereas one other stated they had been much less anxious about speaking with academics and classmates.“Except for letting them view the lessons, the robots permit college students to maneuver freely within the classroom house and talk with their classmates,” a board official advised the newspaper. “Hopefully, this may also help decrease the psychological hurdles for truant college students.”Kumamoto just isn’t the one place attempting to deal with an increase in truancy. A report 244,940 major and junior highschool college students in Japan refused to go to high school for 30 days or extra within the 12 months as much as the top of March 2022, in line with the schooling ministry.The ministry cited psychological and bodily well being issues triggered by the pandemic as the most important issue.The federal government didn’t order faculty closures that 12 months, however many voluntarily cancelled lessons throughout waves of coronavirus infections, making it tougher for kids to renew a standard schooling. Pandemic measures additionally pressured colleges to cancel journeys, sports activities days and different group actions.
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