Cutting class just got harder but schools are safer thanks to computer chips that help track students, Japanese officials say. Some schools here this month began trial runs in which students carry chips that have tiny antennae and can be traced by radio, with some of the kids attaching the tags to their backpacks.
The chips send signals to receivers at school gates. A computer in the system shows when a student enters or leaves.
School officials say rising concerns about student safety prompted the idea.
"More than 70 per cent of parents supported the trials, indicating there is wide appreciation for this kind of effort," said Ichiro Ishihara, a teacher at a public elementary school in Iwamura town, Gifu prefecture, about 275 kilometres west of Tokyo.
"And the kids love it -- they think it's cool," he added.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/09/28/647173.html
The chips send signals to receivers at school gates. A computer in the system shows when a student enters or leaves.
School officials say rising concerns about student safety prompted the idea.
"More than 70 per cent of parents supported the trials, indicating there is wide appreciation for this kind of effort," said Ichiro Ishihara, a teacher at a public elementary school in Iwamura town, Gifu prefecture, about 275 kilometres west of Tokyo.
"And the kids love it -- they think it's cool," he added.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/09/28/647173.html
