Hi.
Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> Pity the Poor Classmate PC'd Children of Portugal
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Combine that complete outsourcing of computer systems evaluation with
> | silence on the financial terms of the deal and I'm thinking there is a
> | deal in the works - cheap Classmates now for lucrative future government
> | orders.
> |
> | Shady deals being a hallmark of Classmate sales to date.
> `----
>http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/intel/classmate_pc_children_portugal.html
There is no "silence on the financial terms of the deal"! The numbers
regarding the public trust (tax payers financed) are know and in the past
two weeks this subject has been extensively debated in Portuguese media and
society in general.
The numbers for the economic activity of the companies involved are not
public but they don't need to be.
The main original aspect of this project is that it applies to young
children in the basic education system. A similar project, for older
students, already exists for some time now (don't remember when it
started).
This project has many critics/criticism and, in my opinion is unclear points
in the educational area (how will it be used as an education tool?) but I
see an enormous potential.
I'm not certain on this but the deal with the government probably is not
exclusive. The equivalent policy for the older students has several
competing laptops from several IT companies and several ISP operators.
In the end, it's the parents/tutors that decide if they buy a laptop for
their child. I know several parents that are still undecided as to what is
best for their child's educational path.
Regards
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