Dear Editor,
Whenever I think about the One Laptop Per Family initiative, I wonder if there is not a better way to ensure the masses become literate in the use of computers. This letter is not intended to take a knock at the government and or President Jagdeo for showing initiative. However, it is to show that their initiative has not been properly thought out.
First, if you really want to educate the masses in the use of computers, then it makes more sense if you ensure that all schools, public libraries, community centres, etc, are well equipped with computers. It is these institutions which present the best option and places to implement this initiative. The schools’ curriculum can even be modified to ensure that Information Technology plays a greater role in the learning process, while adults can use the library and community centres to better understand the computer.
In addition, by doling out gifts, President Jagdeo is setting himself up for an onslaught of criticism. Who will be the person(s) that determines whether someone is poor enough to deserve one of these gifts? What will be the criteria used to assess these persons? How will these systems be maintained and by whom? All of these are some of the simple questions that he will – if he has not already – face. It is either these questions were not considered or President Jagdeo just does not care about other opinions of his initiative.
Thirdly, couldn’t we negotiate with China to ensure that our local assemblers are the ones providing these computers? I’m sure we have capable personnel to provide low cost laptops using Linux. If the preference is to use Windows, I’m sure an education pricing arrange can be worked out with Microsoft so as to ensure the laptops come in at the best possible price. China loaning or granting us US$30 million to buy the products directly from them is a smart business decision on the Chinese part, but foolish for us Guyanese.
Most importantly, as someone who works in Information Technology, it baffles my mind why we would prefer to provide gifts to individual families instead of ensuring these gifts are available for the entire Guyanese population. This chosen method for the initiative is very short-sighted and does little to enhance the overall Guyanese population’s computer literacy.
Yours faithfully,
Nik Alleyne
IT Systems Specialist
