One laptop per child – Uruguay takes the lead

SPIDER's assignment from the Inter-American Development Bank, to create a framework for evaluating one-to-one computing initiatives in education is progressing successfully. In the context of this assignment, four experts from the our university network from Stockholm University, Umeå University and Örebro University visited Uruguay and partners from Plan CEIBAL. Plan CEIBAL is the first one laptop per child project in the world to be implemented at a national level. The project is carried out during 2008 and through it each primary school pupil in all the public schools of the country receives an XO computer.

The purpose of the framework is to guide evaluations of initiatives on one-to-one computing to determine its impact on learning and other important aspects, such as the effects on teachers, school administration, the community, cost-effectiveness and issues of networking and connectivity.

The project is an initiative that originated at the highest governmental level and it is financed by the state budget for primary school education. The main goal is social inclusion: all children shall have the same opportunities to access the knowledge and information that are now available with the new tools. Teachers, parents and society in general are very supportive of this action.

The challenging technical and logistical tasks involved in the execution are being implemented successfully and on schedule. They involve delivering 350,000 XO laptops to their new owners and ensuring adequate connectivity in all schools in both urban and rural areas. School authorities are responsible for training teachers and parents, in the tools for learning that have now been made accessible through the project. A large number of volunteers, professionals, students and parents enthusiastically support the Plan CEIBAL activities.

By the end of 2009, all Uruguayan school children of public schools and their teachers will have a laptop and access to the Internet. Please visit Plan Ceibal for more information.