FLOSS computers at public schools in Uruguay

Over a period of two years, 362,000 students and 18,000 teachers have received computers all over the country. The main objective of this project is to reduce the digital divide. The initiative has been accompanied with a training plan aimed at teachers to make easier the adapatation process.

The plan was inspired on the "One laptop per child" (OLPC for its acronym in English) project. One of the things that has been critized is the use of free software. According to some people the fact that the children use this type of software is a disadvantage in terms of competitiveness as it is used in a minority of the world's computers.

Miguel Brechner, head of the Ceibal Plan dismissed such criticism arguing that what is important for children is to learn how to use the the tools, beyond the kind of software it is used. He added that in the case of blind children, a Windows application was bought because it was understood that this was the best option among all the solutions available.

The cost of the project for the government has been U.S. $ 260 per child, which includes the cost of maintenance, equipment repair, training programs for teachers and Internet connectivity. La cifra total representa menos del 5% del presupuesto destinado a la educación. The total amount represents less than 5% of the budget allocated to education.