Charity Low-Cost Laptop Project Questioned

A debate has emerged over whether low-cost laptops can really improve education for children in developing countries, reports The New York Times.

The nonprofit project One Laptop Per Child hopes that low-cost computers will give children the chance to explore educational opportunities otherwise unavailable to them. Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria, and Thailand have all reached preliminary agreements to provide laptops for millions of students.

Each computer can recharge itself, will use only two watts of power, and is expected to cost about $100.

However, some skeptics of the project argue that a focus on technology will come at the expense of other improvements, such as increasing teacher quality or revamping curriculums.

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