Hi, I also just read the article that Vivek refers to, and believe that it bears thinking about. It is a serious question to which there are no easy answers, and it would be good to have a real discussion, instead of short reactionary messages.
On one hand, why should the poor be deprived of the advantages of digital computers, and access to the Internet. Such technologies, along with rural wireless access, do have the potential to revolutionise education in India. People who complain about subsidies for the poor, and things like the national employment guarantee programme, should keep in mind that these are dwarfed by the costs of petrol, diesel, and LPG subsidies that pander to the rich and middle classes. On the other hand, what is the point of giving laptops to places where basic educational facilities are lacking, where teachers miss classes more often than not, and which lack even books? Would a scheme to distribute laptops be just for show, or would it actually work? Are programmes like the once-touted EduSat doing much good? It is not enough to blame failures of such programmes on corruption and lack of forethought on the part of the government. At least in India, the government is what *we* have made of it. I think that I agree with the premise of the article that educational reform should be more of a priority at present, but is by no means a cut-and-dried case. I have seen at least one instance where a government agency has done things right for the most part in giving computers (not laptops) to rural schools, and the children (up to class 5, or so) had pretty much taught themselves to use the Linux desktop, and play games. Regards, Gora _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22-24, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
