[OLPC India] (no subject)

Mon Aug 10 12:07:55 EDT 2009

Now thatOLPC has been operative in India for a little over&nbsp; year, may be its time to take stock of the situation.We heard about state governments ordering 250k laptops. But the central government has made no announcement if they have released any funds as yet.Part of the reason may be the elections and the model code of conduct. A new minister may take his own time to assess the situation. However, the media has had some positive stories.The government has not abandoned its low cost laptop project as yet though we do ot hear much about it got discredited and even Sam Pitroda called it "ridiculous".It will be great to learn about the stateof this initiative.Based on what we hear about it, it looks as follows.. and it will be good to have considered views on this forum..Challenges
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Typical challenges of decision making in a functioning democracy with a multi-party political system
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Media and non-profit activism makes decision making even more deliberated and discussed
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An ambitions&nbsp; government programs to fix the poor school systems has been celebrated to have made some initial ‘visible’ results – expectations are high – this may lead to questions being raised on why a new thought needs to be entertained when an in-progress activity is delivering results
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Typical questions of why a laptop when even basics like food, shelter and clothes are not available continue to exist
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What needs to be done?
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Demonstrate proof of outcomes through credible sources – work with company CSR initiatives with established non-profits to create small, but credible case studies
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Be visible in the media – associate clearly with ‘education’ not just laptops 
o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We need public discussions around why current education systems, even if fixed, are not enough to provide underprivileged children access to opportunities
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Keep engaging with government – seek smaller contracts to begin with
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One BIG visibility thrust – Professor Negroponte’s visit with media coverage
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Important
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Recalibrate numbers 
·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Be patient – the team&nbsp;seems committed – the opportunity is large – the decision making process is slow – democratic debate is active??
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