It is becoming more common to use the metaverse in therapeutic and educational settings. Utilizing resources from the metaverse, Toda City in Japan is currently tackling the issue of student absenteeism from class. The kids, who are alleged to have attendance issues at school, are using a programme developed by a nonprofit last year with the intention of allowing kids to explore virtual worlds.
The kids can visit a virtual university and take virtual lessons in this digital realm to get ready for returning to regular classes. At least, this is the hope of city officials, who have also suggested that if the principal agrees, these metaverse classes might be counted as regular school hours.
In Japan, absenteeism from school is becoming a significant issue. According to a recent poll by the Japanese education ministry, 244,940 children missed at least 30 days of school in 2021. According to officials, this may be connected to the Covid-19 pandemic and how it affected the way that kids interact with one another.
Japanese media have indeed suggested that the Covid-19 environment could be to blame for a record number of student suicides in 2020. It is simpler to relate to and interact with people online than in the real world, according to a fifth grader who has over two years of experience. Children in this programme should be able to live independently at some point, according to Sugimori Masayuki, director of the city’s education centre.
The metaverse has gained support from numerous educational institutions from various fields as a tool for instruction. The University of Tokyo declared in July that later this year, it would begin providing a number of engineering courses in the metaverse. One of the nation’s first metaverse majors will be established in China at the University of Nanjing, which will train students for occupations relating to the metaverse.
Ten American colleges declared in September that they had begun building their virtual campuses with Meta’s assistance as part of its $150 million immersive learning initiative. To reach students who are unable to attend conventional sessions, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology also reported in July about the establishment of a metaverse campus.