One Laptop Per Child Program Facing Political Hurdles

A lack of political will has blocked a program to distribute laptops to children in developing countries. Close-minded politicians are rejecting the One Laptop Per Child idea, stifling the opportunity for kids to develop IT skills. Digital Journal, Op-Ed — Imagine a non-profit group developed a basic laptop that sells for $100. It’s designed to withstand harsh climates, and is ideal for areas with little or no electricity or Internet access. Now imagine this group’s main goal is to distribute these laptops to children in poor nations, but the politicians in those countries are stiff-arming the project forcefully. This has become a reality for One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). Walter Bender of OLPC said developing countries were unable to commit to the project because politicians believed “change equals risk.” Speaking to BBC News, Bender said: "You've got to be big, you've got to be bold. And what has happened is that there has been an effort to say 'don't take any risks - just do something small, something incremental'." Bender responded to a statement by Nigeria’s education minister, who argued the poor children of country shouldn’t be equipped with laptops. Igwe Aja-Nwachuku told media recently: "What is the essence 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?" Although Nigeria previously committed to buying one million laptops for the country’s children, Igwe Aja-Nwachuku said his department is reassessing that decision. But is providing education through information technology truly that wasteful of an idea? Sure, Nigerian kids need food and clothing before gadgets, and education first has to come from a teacher instead of a computer. But who says computers can't help in the process? Rejecting OLPC’s noble project is turning a blind eye to the reality of today’s hyper-technological culture: kids can learn very well on their own, and by surfing the Web for topics that interest them, they can nourish their mental inventory with ideas and innovations they may have previously not seen. The $100 laptop teaches kids many skills not developed through a chalkboard. Also, many countries have looked favourably on OLPC, but few are putting that commitment on paper. Uruguay is the first country to order machines from OLPC, buying 100,000 of the laptops dubbed XO. Although Libya, Thailand and Pakistan also reportedly placed orders, OLPC said there haven’t been any signed deals yet. What’s taking these countries so long to supply their children with much-needed information technology? Obviously, $100 laptops aren’t high on the priority list for education departments, but in order to give children a well-rounded learning experience, Internet education must be part of the curriculum. The information age is still upon us, and OLPC is doing its best to supply the world’s children with that upper hand. It’s a shame when politicians close their mind to a project destined affect positive change in the world.