Uruguay Is First - Who's Next ?

Finally, a country, Uruguay, has stepped up and used the One Laptop Per Child program to provide every student in a state primary school with a laptop computer. The program had hoped to provide the computers for $100 each, but it's costing a bit more than that.

Uruguay paid $261 per computer, but that price includes the computer, maintenance costs, equipment repairs, training for teachers and internet connection. It still doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. It cost the country less than 5% of its education budget to provide the computers to over 362,000 pupils.

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez passed out the final computers at a Montevideo just a few days ago (October 13). The government plans to extend the laptop program to secondary schools and pre-schools next year.

Michael Brechner, who is in charge of the government's laptop program, said, "This is not simply the handing out of laptops or an education program. It is a program which seeks to reduce the gap between the digital world and the world of knowledge." About 70% of the students receiving the laptops had no computer at home.

I applaud the government of Uruguay for taking this bold and visionary step. I hope it'll only be a short time before many other countries follow their lead.