Japanese City Uses Metaverse To Help Absent Children Study
A city north of Tokyo is counting on the metaverse, or a virtual space for interaction, to help absentee children continue their studies.
Toda City in Saitama Prefecture has adopted a metaverse-schooling service that a Tokyo-based non-profit organization launched last year for children who stay away from school for long periods.
Children use avatars to move freely in the online space and study in virtual classrooms.
A fifth grader who has stayed away from school for two years said it is easier chatting with others online. The pupil also expressed hope to meet friends in person and do things that cannot be done online, such as playing tag.
The city has decided that participation in metaverse schooling can be counted as days of attendance if the principal approves.
The city has already taken other measures to encourage these children to continue their studies, such as preparing separate rooms.
But officials say it was difficult to assess how the children were doing. They hope that metaverse schooling will help students to take the first steps to connect with the people around them.
The head of the city's education center, Sugimori Masayuki, stresses the significance of the service in helping children to learn and build relations with others.
He says he hopes that those who study in a virtual space will eventually be able to live independently in society.