President declares…
-will be executed on a large scale
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo said Friday at the launch of the ‘One Laptop per Family’ initiative that the project is not a pilot, and that it will be rolled out countrywide to the benefit of the poorest families. “This is not a pilot… Sometimes we focus so long on the pilot, that we forget to execute it at large scale, and that’s where it matters,” the President said.
He also urged those young people with computer skills to help tutor laptop recipients on a volunteer basis.
The project is intended to provide 90,000 laptops over a two-year period to the most vulnerable groups across the country. The launch took place at the Guyana International Conference Centre, at Liliendaal on the lower East Coast.
Noting that feedback is an important aspect of the project, and that there will be hurdles as with any project of this magnitude, President Jagdeo said:
“Of course we want feedback; we will be learning too as we implement this project, and make it as useful as possible. We will have teething problems as with any project of this scale.
“I hope we rise to a bigger purpose, and we don’t try to cheat other people,” he said, in reference to what occurred when the Government rolled out its recovery programme soon after the great flood of 2005.
“When we find those people, we have to be really harsh with them… Those who try to steal from others; we will have a few people like that,” the President said.
“You should help us with this; people in the community best know their neighbours, and they know who live in the same house,” he added, with a view to sorting out the veracity of applicants to the programme.
And, anticipating family disputes over custody of the laptop, the President expressed the hope that citizens rise above such pettiness, and remember that the device is for the benefit of the entire family and not specific persons.

Volunteerism
On the subject of volunteerism and the vision he has to make it practicable, President Jagdeo said: “We are working at taking on tons of young volunteers in the ICT sector. They will get a stipend to go to the communities… Every village, every ward; work with families; in the home, and at community centres. This would really bring our people together, and get them more involved in this bigger purpose of building our country,” he said. “Don’t be stingy with your skills, try to help others. This is bigger than individuals and it is good for our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senior Project Manager of the initiative, Mr. Sesh Sukhdeo, said Friday at the launch that the laptops were just the enabling tool, and that it was up to the recipients to make the project work. “…you have to take control, and the families have to take control. So when it goes back to the families, it makes a difference.”
The first to admit that not everyone would have ICT skills, Sukhdeo said: “…so what we are doing is asking what other programmes can go on the laptops, so that when they go back to the families, they can help the families with developing.”
He said that in discussing ideas for the usage of the laptops, the Ministry of Health thought it a fantastic idea to look into articulating how to prevent diabetes. “Can I now send over a slightly different message, using the laptops?” he asked, to which he replied: “But obviously, you need to know how to switch the laptop on; you have to know how to navigate; and you have to know how to go on the Internet.”
At this point, many in the audience sniggered at what they believed were useless points. But as President Jagdeo hastened to point out, there are still people in society that are so disadvantaged that they have not had a chance to turn on a computer, something that is obviously taken for granted as overly elementary by those more familiar with computers and the Internet.
Noting that to be able to communicate, one needs to know to read and write and how to send emails, Sukhdeo said: “We will make sure that the laptops come with a range of training programmes, to support that process.”
“The laptop is going to enable the development of our communities, and the underlying theme is to connect children with parents and other family members, using ICT,” he added.