Fall Semester in Fukushima Starts with Glass Badges for Children

that quietly monitor the radiation levels. Their teacher hopes the badges "will protect the children".

(Oh boy...)

From NHK News Japanese (9/1/2011):

福島市の小中学校で、１日、２学期の始業式が行われ、子どもたちに線量計が配られました。

The fall semester started on September 1 in elementary schools and junior high schools in Fukushima City, and children received their glass badges.

福島市の小中学校では、１日から２学期が始まり、福島第一小学校でも午前７時すぎから子どもたちが登校し始めました。福島市では、一部の地域で高い放射線量が計測され、学校の校庭や通学路で放射線量を下げる対策が進められていますが、１日はマスク姿の子どもが目立ち、正門前には子どもを送る保護者の車の列が出来ていました。

At Fukushima Daiichi Elementary School, children started arriving at 7AM. High radiation has been measured in certain areas in Fukushima City, and the measures to lower the radiation levels in the school yards and on the routes to schools [children usually walk to school] are being taken. But on the first day of the school, many children wore masks, and many parents drove their children to school to the front gate of the school.

始業式では、福井一明校長が「みんなが元気に登校して２学期がスタートでき、うれしく思います。楽しい学校生活を送って下さい」とあいさつしました。福島県では、２学期から１５歳未満の子ども２８万人に放射線の線量計が配られることになっていて、始業式のあと教室に戻った子どもたちは担任の教師から線量計を受け取り、登下校の際に首からかけることなど使い方の説明を受けていました。

During the start of the school ceremony, Principal Kazuaki Fukui greeted the children, saying "I am glad that you are all here in good health to start the fall semester. Enjoy your school life". In Fukushima Prefecture, 280,000 children younger than 15 years are to receive the glass badges to monitor radiation. After the ceremony, children received the badges from their classroom teachers, and were told to wear the badge from the neck on the way to and from school.

線量計を受け取った子どもたちは「これで少しは安心できます」とか「首にぶら下げると少し変な感じがします」などと話していました。６年生の担当の教師は「線量計を子どもたちに身に着けさせるのは心苦しい気もするが、安全を確保するためのお守りだと考えています。例年よりも日焼けした子どもたちの姿が少ないように感じたので、２学期はなるべく外で遊ばせたいと思います」と話していました。

On receiving the badges, children said "I feel a bit safer now", or "it feels funny when I wear it around my neck". A teacher in charge of 6th graders said, "I feel sorry that children have to wear the glass badges, but I consider the badges as amulets that protect children. It looks to me that there are fewer children with sun tan this year, so I would like to have them play outdoors as much as possible."

DON'T!!! In the accompanying video at the NHK page, the teacher says he hopes "it will be the normal fall semester, just like last year".

Higher education doesn't necessarily mean higher intelligence, that's for sure. (Probably inversely correlated, when I look at Japan.) And trading on hope is not a viable strategy either.

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