Do we really need one laptop per child?

Posted on November 28, 2007 | 546 views
Filed Under News & Media, Opinion, Technology | 3 Comments

In an interview with the BBC, Nigeria‘s education minister questioned the need for laptops in poorly equipped schools. Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku said: “What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when they don’t have seats to sit down and learn; when they don’t have uniforms to go to school in, where they don’t have facilities?” But, the brains behind one laptop per child (OLPC) project are claiming it as the “lack of big thinking”. To Walter Bender of OLPC, this lack of commitment from Politician is due to eminent risk posed by the change these laptops will bring.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was started in 2002 by Nicholas Negroponte, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its mission is to provide low-cost laptops, known as the XO, to children around the world specially living in third world countries. The machines are planned to cost $100 and have been especially designed for use in remote and harsh environments where there is little access to electricity or the internet.

No doubt computers are important in this information technology age but do you really think that these laptops and such other fancy gadgets will really do the required for betterment of education in under developed world? I think it’s another fancy slogan.

The OLPC website itself claims in its mission statement that most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade. Having these statistics in our minds; I think a class room with a fan, tables and chairs ought to stay on top in this list of required items not a miniature laptop. I don’t know how the founding father of OLPC, Professor Nicholas Negroponte feels it necessary! Mr. Bender has been reported saying that for him this project has crossed the point of no return. True, perhaps, they at OLPC were not very well calculated and now it’s a matter of ego to them?

The third world countries like Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and others will no doubt opt to order some of these laptops but behind the scene motives can be different. May be a politician with considerations of making some money out of any such deal can drain the public exchequer and direct it into the bank accounts of OLPC.

To education secretary of India Mr. Sudeep Banerjee, the teacher and class rooms are the important considerations. I do feel the same. No matter its India, Pakistan or any other third world country, the situation of schools is not very encouraging and at places one can not find even a class room. Having such a situation on ground, idea of OLPC is not very good and practicable.

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3 Responses to “Do we really need one laptop per child?”

  1. Do we really need one laptop per child? « Silence on November 28th, 2007 10:39 pm

    [...] [read more] [...]

  2. Shirazi on November 29th, 2007 11:00 pm

    Very thoughtful. See this tag before saying yes or no to this question.

    http://quasifictionalviews.blogspot.com/search/label/OLPC

  3. Dr Farrukh Malik on November 29th, 2007 11:22 pm

    @Shirazi:

    Thanks for recommending this useful tag.

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