There's a criticism on OLPC that goes "a $2,000 library can serve 400 children, costing just $5 a child to bring access to a wide range of books in the local languages (such as Khmer or Nepali) and English; also, a $10,000 school can serve 400-500 children ($20-$25 a child)". It's eferenced on Wikipedia and attributed to John Wood (of Room to Read Charity). If you really wanted to give poor countries an education, wouldn't it be better to build these schools and libraries?
I know what OLPC's goals are, but it's hard to believe it's the best way to invest your money. What percentage of XO laptops will really "supplement" a kid's education vs being wasted (unused, broken, or used for purposes other than education)? The life of a laptop is relatively short. Buying them books or helping build schools will last much longer and, IMHO, would be the better way to invest in the education of a country.
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I'm a skeptic.
There's a criticism on OLPC that goes "a $2,000 library can serve 400 children, costing just $5 a child to bring access to a wide range of books in the local languages (such as Khmer or Nepali) and English; also, a $10,000 school can serve 400-500 children ($20-$25 a child)". It's eferenced on Wikipedia and attributed to John Wood (of Room to Read Charity). If you really wanted to give poor countries an education, wouldn't it be better to build these schools and libraries?
I know what OLPC's goals are, but it's hard to believe it's the best way to invest your money. What percentage of XO laptops will really "supplement" a kid's education vs being wasted (unused, broken, or used for purposes other than education)? The life of a laptop is relatively short. Buying them books or helping build schools will last much longer and, IMHO, would be the better way to invest in the education of a country.