Read this recent article on the One Laptop Per Child project and it makes
disturbing reading.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7402365.stm
It seems that the principles behind the original project have had to be
jettisoned because the recipient nation governments want Microsoft XP so
that they can have the same computers as in "the west".
I am not a fan of the OLPC as $188 (the Windows variant costs at least
another $10) is a lot of money in the third world. Food is a much more
important basic requirement. One of the most successful programs in the
Third World is the schools meal schemes which offer students at least one
nutritious meal per day. The cost per child per school year is less than
the cost of an OLPC PC. Such schemes have been credited with improved
class attendance and increased concentration among students.
Put in this context the scheming over the OLPC are perverse.
--
David Howe
Managing Director
Howe Systems Limited
Tel: +353 402 93030
Mob: +353 86 173 1754
Registered Address: Rock Big, Arklow, County Wicklow
Place of Registration: Dublin, Ireland.
Company Registration Number:399359
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