India Rejects One Laptop per Child Program 374
ex-geek writes "Seems like Negroponte's One Laptop per Child program has been
rejected by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India. Among the objections are concerns about the effect of extensive laptop use on children's health. Better uses for the monies, which would be required to roll out the OLPC project, are also named. Most insightful however is the observation that not one industrial country has so far implemented a similar program for its children, which casts doubt as to what the pedagogical use for notebooks in class really is."
Some Good Points (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe the pledge to buy two laptops to donate to get one free really isn't such a bad thing after all. Governments have a difficult time tturning away things that are free.
Re:How about (Score:5, Interesting)
- fear of change? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:How about (Score:5, Interesting)
http://www.jubileeusa.org/jubilee.cgi?path=/learn
Re:Passing the buck (Score:5, Interesting)
But good job on leaping straight to the "brown people must have primitive superstitions" stereotype.
a little off topic, perhaps... (Score:4, Interesting)
I have been wondering how easy it is for a young child to keep the laptop batteries charged. This would seem to be at least an order of magnitude more demanding than a Lifeline radio.
The markting is bad. (Score:3, Interesting)
Most people question anything that is so cheap that it is nearly free, they ask why if laptops are so cheap that only the third world can have them? Since when did we design laptops or anything of this sort for the third world, or India?
I think these laptops ARE a good idea, I just don't think you can market it like this and expect it to take off, at a time like this when the middle east is falling down the drain. I'm not surprised by India's reaction, India is suspicious of the deal, and who wouldnt be.
Re:How about (Score:5, Interesting)
Do some reading on how the flood of donated clothes from the western world destroyed the textile industry in many areas of Africa. Handouts are a terrible long term solution.
Re:Two words (Score:3, Interesting)
Ssshhh... don't let on about birth control education, or the Catholic Church will condemn the program.
Re:Particularly the psychological effects... (Score:3, Interesting)
This is a life lesson, not some logic puzzle. Certainly you must be speaking facetiously.
looks like hrd didnt get their bribe (Score:1, Interesting)
as far as no industrialised nations using this, it is because they do not need to. 1st world nations have money, and quality of life. children are exposed to pc's in schools. we have universal education, healthcare, working toilets etc. india is a shithole. there was an article a while ago that 50% of some of their elected reps do not even have a working toilet. their govt tried to pass a resolution that members must get one, as a an example to others that open defecation is unhealthy. shows how full of shit they really are.
as far as wanting to give children a pc early, there s a simple reason for this. in 1st world nations there is a requirement that children must attend schools to a certain age. this was passed long ago to prevent parents from forcing their children to work as cheap/free labor. therefore it is not really essential to get pc's to children early in such countries. india does not guarantee universal education, and aside from the wealthy elite, there are many deserving children that could benefit from education, and in turn benefit humanity when they get older.
having said this, i can ask one question. who the fuck is hrd to accept or reject such proposals? do they speak for india? its people? its poor? obviously they have done precious little to improve the life of india's poor so far. the term "reject" is classical rhetoric, that implies they had any authority in the first place. another thing to note is that if a large poor section of india gets a working computer, connected to the web, it will very much circumvent the human resources development ministry in india. im guessing this group is responsible for maintaining a cheap labour supply in india to serve the interests of the rich, because it sure as hell wasnt the poor, illiterate, subsitence level majority that put them in office.
these same fud arguments came up when it was time for universal education, when it was time to free the slaves, when it was time to allow women to vote and own property, etc, etc. hrd isn't fooling anyone with their phony concern, and should actually be punished for this stance. if opportunity is denied the indian people to build their lives and country because some branch of beurocrats dont like it, india will always be a shithole.
Re:Nigeria accepts OLPC (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Passing the buck (Score:2, Interesting)
I remember my secondary education tried as much as possible to link lessons together and remember on the whole having good teachers who worked hard to give us a rounded education.
As for needing a laptop to discover the underlying chaotic pulse of the world I call bullshit. Knowledge of patterns doesn't need a computer and recognising the signs of an attractor can be done by anyone looking at the "bigger picture".
Sure, to make pretty graphs and things having a computer handy makes it easier, but its not a requirement.
Just remember this, computers have been around for about 80 years now, smart people have existed throughout history.