News First maskless graduation

About 80 per cent of the 277 students of the class of 2023 were maskless during the graduation ceremony at the Osaka Prefectural Shimizudani High School here on Feb. 28. "It was a new experience because it felt like I was seeing new faces when my classmates took off their masks," said graduating student Sakurako Konishi, 18. Headteacher Ken Hikasa was also pleased to see the full faces of the students. "Some students received their diplomas with a big smiles," Hikasa said. "It's really nice to see a smiling face with nothing covering it." The graduating students started high school in the spring of 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic had spread. Three years later, following education ministry guidelines, the school's administrators recommended that students and parents participate in the graduation ceremony without face coverings, except when singing. Those who wanted to wear masks were free to do so, however.

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