A Meaningful Life

1 | Suhit Anantula

July 24th, 2008 at 5:23 am

Technology is great in the OLPC but the 3rd world kids do not need a laptop.

According to me these are some of the bigger priorities:

1. Teachers
2. Blackboards
3. Clean Drinking Water
4. Toilets for girls
5. Closer schools
6. Food at School
7. Textbooks
8. Cheap lighting to read and learn in the evening

The problem with the OLPC is that the founders view the world from a technology point of view. The problem is more social.

If we look at all the developed countries (US, UK, Parts of Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea etc) they have all educated their citizens without computers and laptops. And now that they are developed they are looking at 1:1 computing solutions.

Also, if the 1st world countries want to provide aid, it should not be in the form of laptops. More trade is better. So is using advanced technology to solve the base of the pyramid issues. Economics is part of the answer.

At the end, there is no one simple solution to this complex problem however, laptops for children are not the solution.

I can tell you think as I spent most of my life in India and now living in Australia.

Cheers

2 | Marc

July 24th, 2008 at 6:58 am

I was thinking that at first but did some thinking and I think there are 3 reasons that help keep me a believer. I’m curious what you think?
- You can help educate and inform many people with a single PC. Parents and siblings of students who have access to an OLPC
- I think there is ‘needs aid’ and ‘educational aid’. I think the latter helps solve the former for the longer term so it’s really an aid investment. I think education historically has solved lots of problems for society through its ability to arm people with solutions to problems they face.
- If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the internet is mightier than the gun. The access and distribution power of the net is helping great people like Corneille Ewango protect and empower the passive, unarmed good people in developing countries. See his excellent TED.com speech. Corneille Ewango is a hero of the congo forest