How many countries are really participating in One Laptop Per Child? Do you know? Does Nicholas Negroponte know? I only know that the definition of "participation" is rather loose right about now.
On one end of the spectrum, we have Australia, where two laptops somehow mean a pilot. On another end we have Pakistan, a country that really has need as Farrukh Ansari says in an OLPC News comment:
Could anyone tell me that how i can get this laptop for my kids, they are keen to use it, but as i live in Karachi, Pakistan, how i can get it. Please, someone help me to find the way to get it.Well Nicholas Negroponte says Farrukh will soon be in luck:
We are talking to the Philippines and Pakistan - I'm convinced that's going to happen.Dr. Negroponte has reason for optimism. He has the commitment of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz. According to an APP news article from November 29, 2006:
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Wednesday the government will consider the feasibility for making low-cost laptop computers available to school going children in Pakistan.After this announcement, the Federal Minister for IT established a dedicated task force and there was lively discussion about OLPC in Pakistani ICT groups. All good reasons to think that there will be One Laptop Per Pakistani Child, right?He was talking to Nicholas Negroponte, who is the head of the MIT Media Laboratory and Chairman of a non-profit organization called One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC), which promotes the production of laptops for children at low rates.
The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of IT and Telecom to form a committee to look into the feasibility of such an initiative.
Well hold on a second. Isn't One Laptop Per Child an education project, not a laptop project? Then why do the announcements and the task force seem so odd? Or as Shahzad Ahmad says on Bytes for All Readers:
One OLPC per Ministry!
First thing first, whose domain is it any way to decide about OLPCs in Pakistan? Can we leave such important, huge decision on a sole "IT" task force, which I am sure is not representative and inclusive of all stakeholders.Yes, Shahzad, they sure are. Like the fact that we have no clue just who is in, who is out, and what reality the OLPC country map lives in.Folks, it is NOT purchasing only an IT tool for our children where MoIT may solely decide, BUT this decision calls for total social re-engineering at all levels particularly in our educational system...and yes, the parents as well... Am talking about OLPC's optimal utilization.
By the way, our Federal Minister for Education has categorically stated that Pakistan is NOT part of OLPC Project. They had refused the offer to be part of this initiative. Now, can we safely say that various government functionaries e.g. Ministry of Education and Ministry of IT need to work together and take a joint agreed decision.[...]
My humble suggestion will be.... Let's not get carried away with all the hype being created around these machines and decide only on fair facts. Quite a lot of them are mind boggling
Well,
I was really happy at first to know that Pakistan Really would be part for OLPC. But still I got some doubts while I was reading it.
And in the end you wrote wat was going on in my mind. I don't know but Pakistan IT Industry and Computer Selling Giants. They won't let it happen I can understand the mentality and pretending of business oriented mind of our Rulers and Other Money Making Giants.
I can only wish that may ALLAH bless our Pakistan a True, Honest and Pakistani Loving Rulers for the betterment and improvement of Pakistan to be more competitive. Ameen
I am sorry to say that like rest of the good initiatives that were taken some time back, this one is also looking to go down the drain. People in Pakistan are thinking that this is a real-life-laptop that they can some how modify and then make it to their use, It is not !.
I have seen people comment about this initiative thinking in a true *PAKISTANI* way.
http://ko.offroadpakistan.com/computing/2007_02/one_laptop_per_child.html#comment2
SO it is March any one have latest new about it ?
its my dream i get a laptop 1gp ram,100 gb hard disk dvd+dvdr,3.0prosser 3d card 128 but its a dream.
I read an article called " First learn to Walk then Surf" which basically argued the case for more schools first and then laptops in developing countries.
In line with the popular word now a days, Pakistan , may get OLPC funded by some other country, say UAE ( which in my opinion will bankrup UAE), but the over all cost of training, back up support and softwares over a period of three years will be considerably higher than the education budget for the next three years.
Secondly, there is no evidence available yet that these things work in a developing country, so the best option for Pakistan would be to wait and have research a pilot project before blindly toeing the line.
Our school require 25 computers for our students & school has no sufficient funds for this project. So we are looking for donation from well parties or person for promotion of education in Karachi-Pakistan
helo i m a student of F.Sc
i need a laptop because i want to do something in computer field.
i want to make the world wonderful
huh! as usual pakistan is wasting money on other stuff like making useless roads building etc cant they think about doing some thing unusual and better than that? no! they cannot do some thing better because they are bussy in making money and wasting it. any concerned authorities rading it should be ashamed!
I need a laptop, for invention of something strange in computer programming. ( software etc )