Can you imagine the excitement of these young Nigerian school children who have been given a $100 laptop each as part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) programme in Africa. Some of them don’t even have a television at home.
Their local community built their school, now well worn, from 
plaster, wood and tin. It educates 150 students and three classes are crammed into the two-room building.
The 10 and 11-year-old students are lucky to share three books per academic subject, as well as having a clock, bell, wall calendar, and science equipment consisting of a lever. Students in less fortunate schools might share three books in total.
But Nigeria’s Education Minister Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku has questioned whether it was appropriate to provide laptops "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."
Walter Bender, President of One Laptop per Child (OLPC) said their politicians were unwilling to commit because "change equals risk". He said, there needed to be a "dramatic change" because education in many countries was "failing" children.
The computers have been specially designed for use in remote and harsh environments where there is little access to electricity or the internet. There have been "aggressive" attempts to undermine the charity, which planned to sell the laptops to governments in lots of one million for $100 apiece. But it appears they are not buying in as hoped, with reports that a researcher from the Indian Institute of Science has designed a laptop that can be produced for $47 and sold at small volumes.
The fact is that the internet is going to open up these children’s eyes to a totally new world, is this something the Nigerian government is prepared for too? I can see why it seems incongrous to provide new technology while school kids are deprived of the basics? Isn’t that worth it for access to new knowledge?
I do urge you to watch this wonderful video link recording the school – 63 excited pupils in the class – with their laptops, which is described as "a souvenir from God". Is it really a gift from the Gods? Or do you just get what you pay for? Can it be so good when it costs so little?
The kids certainly enjoy the games. And what child doesn’t?
I would say its the best it can be for the money and to those children it will be worth thousands of pounds and better than any thing they have ever had before.
When you don’t have much money a cheaper version is the best as far as your concerned…and it brings you as much happiness and enjoyment.
I think it’s a great project and I hope it is a success. Although I do wonder what happens when a laptop stops working, gets damaged or gets stolen.
Have you seen those ads for on-line gambling with players from all over the world, including an African winning outside his hut? I do think that global internet access is positive but imagine if, one day, the internet suddenly collapsed. It would be the Dark Ages all over again.
It’s a fine line. We do often make these assumptions that our luxuries in the west is what the people in crisis hit countries yearn for most. I have a friend who works for a charity and was sent over to Sumatra in the aftermath of the tsunami a few years ago. While we did a brilliant job of raising money and help, people we sending out puzzles and games. These people wanted clothes, food and some housing!
On the other hand, access to knowledge is a fundamental need too – though I’m sure a starving person would rather a meal than a browse on the net. As for education, get the classrooms, tables, desks, text books, etc., surely that is more important?
I am not saying the scheme is wrong, but it is not the great Saviour that it being portrayed as.
Reminds me of this satirical look as the subject… http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/africans-disappointed-to-discover-%24100-laptops-are-not-full-of-food-20071108523/
Nicholas Negroponte has done a remarkable job in getting the OLPC project to this point.
I think it’s a good idea and I wish it continued success.
I, too, hope it’s a success. At least somebody is trying to do something!
Education is the key to everything. If this can help in that respect, then good on it.
I look forward to the next generation of Nigerian Spammers.