KOLÍNSMART KEYCHAIN IS A UNIQUE PROJECT NOT ONLY IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, BUT ALSO IN CENTRAL EUROPE. KOLÍN IS A LEADING CZECH CITY THAT DELIBERATELY AND SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTS MODERN TECHNOLOGY INTO ITS OWN URBAN ECOSYSTEM. THANKS TO KOLÍN’S SUCCESS, OTHER CITIES ALSO GOT INSPIRED TO MAKE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. THE PUPILS OF THE 6TH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN KOLÍN ARE THE FIRST TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THE SMART KEYCHAIN.
The 6th Elementary School in Kolín launched the pilot project fully on the fi rst school day, on 4 September 2017. Kolín’s city representatives and the management of the 6th Elementary School in Kolín took part in the opening of the school year and the start of the project.
Unique Keychains were handed over to pupils in individual classes. Each pupil received a personal letter with his/her own Smart Keychain and a brief guide on how to use it. Together with the letter, each pupil received a practical brochure detailing the features of the Keychain and its use. The brochure will advise both pupils and their parents on how to handle and make the most of the Keychain’s modern technology. The schoolchildren were also cheeredby a bag of gift items.
The KolínSmart Keychain project is designed primarily for elementary school pupils. The Keychain comes in the form of a small plastic card that can be attached to keys. The goal of the Keychain is to replace the set of chips, keys or wallets children normally use with a single tool. One such unifying tool should be able to carry out all
the identifi cation, access or payment activities of pupils. Thanks to the use of a contactless chip, the Smart Keychain can now fulfi l the function of a reader card of Kolín Municipal Library or a chip for ordering and dispensing lunches in the school canteen. It also opens a school electronic lock or can be used as a time ticket in Kolín
public transport. But the Smart Keychain opens up even greater opportunities and the project has many bold visions for the future.
The Keychain can also be activated as a prepaid card where parents can send their children’s pocket money. Thanks to its easy control, safe operation and versatile use, the Keychain is also suitable for the youngest pupils. When paying with a Keychain in partner stores, the user gets interesting discounts and benefi ts. The card will not
allow any overdraft of a limit or balance. The history of all Keychain transactions is available online, providing parents with an easy way to supervise their children’s payment activities as and when needed.
The world is changing more and more rapidly; the old principles and technologies are disappearing and new ones are evolving. The young generation should, now more than ever, be educated in accordance with current developments, new knowledge and in real time. Kolín Keychain knows how to actively engage children in today’s modern world.
It is a helpful tool and a smart technology that educates over the long term. And like every good project, Smart Keychain is also planning, evolving and improving.
The Keychain philosophy aims to make eff ective use of science and modern technology for general public benefi t. One of such visions of the future capabilities of the Keychain as a payment card for elementary school pupils is, for example, the possibility of restricting the purchase of products inappropriate for children and young people. The development of the Keychain also includes the preparation of teaching
materials and a study programme for schools on the subject of „Financial literacy“. The main goal will be to make the young generation familiar with topics from the world „outside and beyond school“ but also to motivate them to take into account current technological trends and to understand the demands of the labour market and the
expectations of employers. Another key step in the development of the Keychain is to extend the current off er with new services, making the product even more attractive – for instance by linking it to the health care sector where the Keychain could be used as an electronic health book for children and their parents. In practice this would mean that parents will know when the next vaccination of their child is due; they will be able to make an appointment in advance, for a specifi c date and time with a pre-selected physician who will have all the records of previous examinations. For some this may sound like the music of a distant future, while others may see it as a necessary standard in today’s world; nevertheless, one thing is certain: the Smart Keychain has and will always have something to off er.
