Because of North Korea's provocations following its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, the general affairs section of the board of education of Tokyo's Machida City on March 27 made a unilateral decision — unknown to board members or the city assembly — to not provide personal safety alarms to students at a pro-North Korean school in the city.
After reports of the decision surfaced April 4, the board of education was inundated with protest telephone calls and emails, prompting it to reverse the decision. On Monday, the first day of the new school year, the board sent alarms to the Nishi-Tokyo Korean Second Elementary and Junior High School, where 68 students study.
Even if the decision was made without the knowledge of the city government and the members of the board of education, they must accept responsibility for the poor judgment shown by the general affairs section, which smacked of discrimination against students of the Korean school. The head and workers of the general affairs section should be disciplined for their actions.