Friday, July 09, 2004

School to put electronic tags on students to monitor safety

A primary school in Wakayama Prefecture will provide electronic tags on students' belongings that will help parents and teachers monitor their safety on the way to and from school, a local bureau of the telecommunications ministry said Wednesday.
The tags -- similar to those used for merchandise at retailers and wholesalers for inventory control -- will be attached to students' school bags or nameplates, while tag readers will be installed at the school gate and locations the parents and teachers think could be dangerous.

The readers will log the times students pass through the gate and alert the school when they approach designated "dangerous" premises, according to the Kinki Bureau of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.

Parents may also receive such information via e-mail sent to their mobile phones, or directly contact the school.

Where to begin....