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Smarter student cards let parents track their kids
NO PLAYING HOOKY:
The improved electronic cards will send parents a text message when their children arrive at or leave school or fail to show up for classes
By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jan 21, 2007, Page 2
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"The service allows schools to record student attendance, and parents will be able to relax knowing their kids' whereabouts."
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Han Chang-tze, director of the Taipei City Department of Education's Information Management Office
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Parents of Taipei municipal school students will soon be notified what time their kids arrive at and leave school each day, when a new feature is added to electronic student cards by the Taipei City Government.
Electronic student cards, which have been used by about 390,000 students at 240 municipal elementary, junior high and high schools since last year, combine traditional student cards with MRT Easy Cards, allowing students to use it as student identification card, library card and easy card.
Director of the Information Management Office under the Taipei City Department of Education Han Chang-tze (韓長澤) said the new feature, to be launched in September, sends a text message to parents' cellphones when their kids swipe the card upon arriving at or leaving school.
The service will cost parents $NT1.5 (US$ 0.04) per text message, but the department will begin to offer free text services in March informing parents when their children fail to show up at school.
"The service allows schools to record student attendance, and parents will be able to relax knowing their kids' whereabouts," Han said.
In the future, Han said, electronic student cards will feature more functions, such as recording students' grades.
Chinese Culture University has also replaced its traditional student cards with electronic ones, making it the only university to use the system.
Commissioner of the department Wu Ching-chi (吳清基) said many universities had approached it and asked for help with installing the electronic student card system.
The cards are produced by the department and Taipei Smart Card Corporation, which issues the MRT Easy Card, and students do not need to pay for them.
The department will extend the improved student card service to all 420,000 students in Taipei public schools by the end of this year.
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