The much-vaunted One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative was yesterday officially launched by President Bharrat Jagdeo at the International Conference Centre, with about 100 families being the first beneficiaries under the programme.
The initiative was first announced in July of 2010, when Jagdeo said that the government would pledge US$30 million over the next three years to put computers in the hands of at least 90,000 poor families. On Monday, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh announced that $1.8 billion (US$9 million) had been allocated for the OLPF for this year.
Addressing a capacity audience at the Conference Centre yesterday, Jagdeo stressed that the 90,000 computers would be going to the least fortunate families in the country. He emphasised also that while the laptops are free “they have to be earned… by effort and commitment.”
The President also said that he is prepared to introduce a tax credit system to ensure that other children could have access to instruments at a cheaper cost.
Jagdeo noted that the government had invested some US$9 million this year to kick start the project and added that his administration is lobbying for a grant from the Chinese government to acquire additional computers. He stressed that it was important to get the project started as quickly as possible due to the rapid development taking place in the ICT sector. “We cannot waste another day…in the implementation of this project,” Jagdeo said. He said too that access to computers cannot be stymied by the lack of internet access.
The President said if the programme is implemented well, it could have a transformational impact for many Guyanese. He said that a large section of the developing world is still focused on issues such as building roads and are not looking at other important issues. According to him, countries need to see the ICT sector as being important or more important than other industries. He said that the Caribbean had to quickly acknowledge this and work to close the gap in this sector between the developed and the developing world. “There is strong justification in dedicating large sums of money in this sector,” Jagdeo said.
He said that the government is targeting both the young and old people and hopes that within five years, all Guyanese would be computer literate. He explained that this is one of the reasons his government had opted for the OLPF as opposed to the one laptop per child programme that had been adopted in some countries.
According to Jagdeo, the one lap top per family enhances educational access to the entire family. He said too that parents become more involved in the work of their children and that a greater connection between the home and the classroom is achieved. Jagdeo said too that it is important to promote a more “self-directed type of learning.” He said this type of education is lacking locally, even at the University of Guyana. According to Jagdeo, many of the University’s graduates have “not learnt how to learn.”
Meanwhile, Jagdeo stressed that the laptops will have significant security features.
And according to him, he is considering passing a law with a stiff imprisonment penalty for anyone who steals one of the computers. “If you sell them, we’ll come after you,” the President warned. “If it is broken, we can help you to fix it… but don’t disappear it and come up with some story,” Jagdeo said.
Critics have raised doubts about the wisdom of the project, citing concerns about security, maintenance and upgrading of the equipment. Some have pointed to other models such as in Trinidad where the computers are made available in the school setting to children.
The President, meanwhile, also appealed for young people with computer skills to volunteer their services to help with this project.
Following his address at the launch, the President handed over laptops to 23 students from the Abrams Zuil Secondary School in Essequibo, 27 representatives from the Volunteer Youth Corps (VYC), D’urban Backlands, and eight students from the Hinterland Students Amerindian Hostel. Laptops were also handed over to several representatives from St. Francis Community Developers in Rose Hall, Berbice.
The OLPF initiative is being run out of the Project Management Office in the Office of Climate Change and it is geared towards supporting and fostering community and economic development within the framework of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
Speaking at the launch yesterday, Sesh Sukhdeo, the Senior Project Manager for the initiative, said that one of the challenges in getting the project off the ground was to develop a simple model that would work. This led to the Project Management Office seeking to collaborate with existing community groups.
Sukhdeo told this newspaper that presently 20 community centres are actively engaging the Project Management Office. He said that the next set of laptops to be distributed would be given to these groups.
According to him, any group interested in benefiting under this programme should make an application to the Project Management Office. The applications should include details about the group and include a plan as to how the laptops would be used to benefit the community.
He said that the applications would be examined and then there will be an orientation. Those who benefit from the computers have to undertake to train others. Sukhdeo said that at the end of the orientation and “when everybody is comfortable,” then the individuals would be able to take the laptops home. He said too that before this is done, the parents in the home would have to indicate their support and commit to learning the computer as well.
Meanwhile, when the floor was opened for questions, an elderly woman, who said she serves as the secretary of the New Hope Land Co-operative Society, reminded the President of an unfulfilled promised he had made to her group some years ago.
The woman said that about three years ago the President had promised some computers to her organisation but that the Society had yet to receive them even after writing to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Office of the President.
In response, Jagdeo said he had not seen her letter but said he would comply with her requests should another letter be sent.
However, officials from the Project Management Office pledged to look into the situation. Jagdeo thanked the 84-year-old woman for attending the meeting and for showing keen interest; a statement which prompted the audience to burst into overwhelming applause.
