Seoul to launch metaverse-based counseling services for students struggling in school - Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- A metaverse-based counseling level volition beryllium adopted successful Seoul to assistance young students support their composure portion facing assorted types of struggles specified arsenic world concerns and relationship problems. Without revealing their faces, students tin pass with teachers utilizing avatars susceptible of recognizing antithetic emotions.
 
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the fig of young radical feeling affirmative emotions has importantly decreased. In a 2021 survey of 862 radical aged betwixt 9 and 24 conducted by the Korea Youth Counseling & Welfare Institute, a state-run counseling agency, those who consciousness affirmative emotions specified arsenic gratitude and calmness fell by 3 times compared to a twelvemonth ago. The canvass showed that 53.2 percent of the respondents cited anxiousness and interest arsenic 1 of the astir communal emotions they felt, portion 39.3 percent came with irritation.

The institute said it is indispensable to utilize assorted platforms specified arsenic online counseling for teenagers who similar societal media platforms specified arsenic Instagram and Fcebook. The pandemic has besides prompted young radical to fell their faces with masks alternatively of showing them to strangers. According to information released by Kyungnam University's survey of 435 mediate and precocious schoolhouse students betwixt May and June 2022, galore teenagers favored wearing masks erstwhile eating nutrient successful a nationalist place.
 
The Seoul Metropolitcan Office of Education said successful a connection that Metaforest, a metaverse counseling level created by virtual world (VR) level developer Yatavent, volition beryllium utilized to supply counseling work for elementary, mediate and precocious schoolhouse students. Between January and precocious February, nonrecreational counselors volition springiness proposal for 216 selected students. During the wintertime break, each pupil volition person counseling services 4 to six times. In the virtual space, students tin pass verbally with advisors utilizing avatars that admit facial expressions.
 
"We anticipation galore students who consciousness uncomfortable with face-to-face counseling to usage virtual spaces wherever anonymity is guaranteed truthful that much students successful Seoul tin go psychologically and emotionally unchangeable done this caller benignant of counseling services," Seoul's acquisition superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said successful a connection connected January 16.
 
Data released by Statistics Korea, a state-run statistical accusation service, showed that South Korean mediate and precocious schoolhouse students' restitution complaint with schoolhouse beingness was 51.1 percent successful 2022, down 8.2 percent from 2 years ago. The statistic bureau predicted that world accent is the main crushed for the debased restitution rate. About 9.3 trillion won ($7.5 billion) were spent connected backstage tutoring successful 2021 by elementary, mediate and precocious schoolhouse students. An mean precocious schoolhouse pupil spends a regular mean of astir 13 hours studying. High schoolhouse classes commencement astatine 9:00 a.m. and cram schools adjacent astatine 10:00 p.m.
 
The municipal acquisition bureau has utilized metaverse which enables users to prosecute successful antithetic activities successful the virtual satellite successful assorted sectors. In August 2021, the bureau launched metaverse-based subject classes for astir 2,100 students to research a virtual accumulation hallway called "Gather Town" with their ain avatars. In November 2021, the municipal authorities besides unveiled its strategy to supply metaverse-based services successful each administrative assemblage by 2026. Avatar workers volition grip assorted civic complaints and supply virtual tourism experiences specified arsenic virtual accepted lantern festivals for overseas tourists. About 3.9 cardinal won volition beryllium injected into specified programs.