Free laptops for Uruguay school kids

-First such initiative in the world:

Uruguay: Education authorities confirmed that all primary school children will receive a free laptop as part of the Ceibal plan (Basic Informatics Education Connection for Learning on line).

Miguel Brechner, president of the Uruguayan Technology Laboratory (LATU) informed that distribution will begin on May 11 in the schools of the neighboring province of Canelones and in June they will distribute in Montevideo, the last province to join the program.

When the process concludes all primary school children in the country and most teachers will have this powerful tool for learning as part of the first such initiative in the world. Brechner indicated that Ceibal will have its own television signal to promote a better interaction between students and teachers.

Also a thousand more servers will be installed that are now added to the 1,100 already functioning with wireless internal and external Internet.

The Uruguayan government intends to extend the Ceibal Plan to secondary and pre-university schools.

This experience has called the attention of several nations and governments including Paraguay whose vice president, Federico Franco, met with Uruguayan specialists to begin applying this plan soon in his country.

Also requesting Uruguayan consultation are the governments of Colombia and Mexico and the Argentine provinces Entre R¡os, Tierra del Fuego and Buenos Aires, while several European universities are studying the advances of the program from an educational and social point of view.

With the Ceibal Plan Uruguay intends to promote digital inclusion to reduce the breach in comparison to other nations and among its own citizens to open a greater and better access to education and culture.

Montevideo, Prensa Latina