OLPC kits out entire nation's kids with laptops

But a small nation

By James Sherwood • Get more from this author

22nd August 2008 14:17 GMT

A small island in the South Pacific has become the world’s first nation to see all of its children equipped with laptops through the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project.

The entire 500-strong body of primary and secondary school children in the nation of Niue, which is located just north east of New Zealand, have each been given one of the famous green Linux PCs.

Jimmie Rodgers, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, a regional development agency, said the OLPC donation would make a huge difference to Niue's kids and has “the potential to revolutionise education in ways that are difficult to imagine”.

However, the project faces stiff competition from Intel’s low-cost Classmate PC laptop.

Last month, Intel inked a deal with the Portuguese government to provide the country’s primary school pupils with 500,000 of the machines.

Review
The OLPC XO laptop