With the number of high school students reported as truant hitting a record high, a nonprofit organization has opened a new facility in Mimata, Miyazaki Prefecture, to offer a place for them to spend their time and feel at home.
While children in the compulsory education system ¡ª from elementary to junior high school ¡ª continue to be enrolled in their school even if they stop attending, high school students are more likely to drop out entirely and may become socially isolated.
Himitsukichi, a nonprofit organization based in the city of Miyazaki and which runs a program for children¡¯s outdoor activities, has renovated an old, vacant house to turn it into a facility for older teens, and opened it on Nov. 9.
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