A scheme in Uruguay to provide every state school attending child with a laptop has ended, making the country the first in the world to give computers to all primary school children. Presenting the last of the laptops in Montevideo, President Tabare Vazquez completed Uruguay’s involvement in the One Laptop Per Child scheme.
Created by Nicholas Negroponte, internet pioneer, the original scheme was set to give all primary school children a laptop for a cost of £61. However, after repair and training costs increased prices the final figure equalled £159, though this still proved to take less than 5per cent of the countries budget for education. Nearly 70per cent of the children who received the laptops did not have a computer at home and for many it is the first instance that they’ve had access to the internet and computer technology. Uruguay’s director of Technological Laboratories Miguel Brechner said “This is not simply the handing out of laptops or an education programme. It is a programme which seeks to reduce the gap between the digital world and the world of knowledge.”
Authorities have expressed a wish to make sure that educational facilities remain connected, with further plans to provide laptops to pre-school and secondary school children as well. In addition Mr Brechner spoke out about several countries that had been in contact regarding running the scheme out for themselves. Talking of the enquiries from countries such as El Salvador, Haiti and Rwanda, Mr Brechner said “We would help them with tenders, planning, evaluation, which software to use, how to spread the word, training, all the “know how” we have developed. We don’t have a manual. Its a culture shock scenario – many countries are simply too scared to put it into practice.”
