[OLPC India] moving forward..(response to Marc..)

[Satish Jha OLPC]

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 8:13 AM, Marc Valentin <mvalentin at oeuvredespains.org
> wrote:

> I appreciated your last post.
>
>
>
> *Thank you!*
>
> * *
>
>   I hope you will be able to bring more transparency
>
>
>
> *I sure aim at that.*
>
>
>
> We at 'Oeuvre des pains' received 15 XOs from G1G1 miscellaneous
>
> donations and purchased 20 XOs from 'Digital Bridge Foundation'.
>
>
>
> What price did you pay for the ones you purchased in India?
>
>
>
> *It seems you want 325 more laptops??*
>
>
>
>  I have to say that we choose the XO because it is an incredible machine,
> not because of the educative 'ideology' connected with it.
>
>
>
> *For whatever reasons, results for children hopefully will mean something
> for the better..*
>
>
>
> What I understand from your messages is that OLPC decided to start
> seriously the expansion in India. That is good, but I feel your goals are
> completely unrealistic (quantities) and that makes me a little bit nervous.
> Actually, I don't really care if OLPC manage to distribute 10 M or 150 M XOs
> in India but I really care about WHO is going to get them.
>
>
>
> *It's the children who cannot afford to buy on their own that OLPC India
> is targeting.*
>
>
>
> I don't think you can say : 'every time a child gets an XO it is a
> success'. No. Even if local governments or private companies donate for the
> project, OLPC should have a clear (and transparent) policy to develop
> backward areas. There are so much differences between the cities and the
> rural areas, between the expensive private schools and the poor children
> roaming around and not going to school in the villages. There is also a very
> big difference between south India and north India. You cannot compare
> education in Kerala and U.P. for example.
>
>
>
> *Good observations. Will address them as move forward.*
>
>
>
> So, practically, I suggest you prepare some rules for OLPC for India (for
> yourself). For example : For each XO deployed in south India, one (or two)
> should be deployed in north. For each XO deployed in a city, one (or two)
> should be deployed in a rural area.
>
> And somehow, 'we', the public, should be able to control that OLPC is doing
> it right. (That is what I call transparency ! :-) )
>
>
>
> *Appreciate your thoughts. *
>
>
>
> I would be happy to know what others in the list think about this.
>
> I think you definitely cannot trust politicians and managers and let them
> deploy computers where they want, even if they finance them, otherwise you
> will miss an harmonious development of the education everywhere. Certainly
> backwards area would never be touched.
> >
>



-- 
-- Satish Jha
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