Electronic readers to check attendance at schools
Published: 24 Aug. 2009, 21:42
To deter crimes against elementary school students, the Education Ministry said it will send text messages for free to parents carrying details of their kids’ arrival at and departure from schools from September.
The measure is to relieve parents’ concern over their children’s safety, the ministry said, adding that it hopes the measure will play a decisive role in preventing violence and crimes against children.
The ministry will launch a pilot program for first and second graders at 40 elementary schools around the country. The schools are designated by municipal and provincial education offices in districts with a high number of working parents and low-income families, according to the ministry.
“If the pilot goes well, the ministry intends to expand the program to other elementary schools across the country by June 2010,” said Ahn Myeong-su, an official at the ministry’s primary and secondary school management support division.
Under the program, children register their arrival and departure from school on a fingerprint identification reader or an electronic card at the school gates. The reader will automatically notify parents via their mobile phones of their children’s comings and goings.
If a child does not come back home an hour after he or she left from school, the ministry said parents will be able to immediately report the incident to the child’s school teacher.
The ministry said it will seek parental agreement before setting up the system because of the potential leak of personal information using the electronic or fingerprint readers.
The program will also recruit volunteers from retired teachers and parents to accompany children arriving and departing from school. The volunteers will accompany the children to their destination.
Schools will provide volunteers with transportation and refreshment fees.
By Lee Won-jean, Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
The measure is to relieve parents’ concern over their children’s safety, the ministry said, adding that it hopes the measure will play a decisive role in preventing violence and crimes against children.
The ministry will launch a pilot program for first and second graders at 40 elementary schools around the country. The schools are designated by municipal and provincial education offices in districts with a high number of working parents and low-income families, according to the ministry.
“If the pilot goes well, the ministry intends to expand the program to other elementary schools across the country by June 2010,” said Ahn Myeong-su, an official at the ministry’s primary and secondary school management support division.
Under the program, children register their arrival and departure from school on a fingerprint identification reader or an electronic card at the school gates. The reader will automatically notify parents via their mobile phones of their children’s comings and goings.
If a child does not come back home an hour after he or she left from school, the ministry said parents will be able to immediately report the incident to the child’s school teacher.
The ministry said it will seek parental agreement before setting up the system because of the potential leak of personal information using the electronic or fingerprint readers.
The program will also recruit volunteers from retired teachers and parents to accompany children arriving and departing from school. The volunteers will accompany the children to their destination.
Schools will provide volunteers with transportation and refreshment fees.
By Lee Won-jean, Kim Mi-ju [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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