[squeak-dev] children

Casimiro de Almeida Barreto casimiro.barreto at gmail.com
Fri Jul 17 04:01:23 UTC 2009


Em 17-07-2009 00:00, Jecel Assumpcao Jr escreveu:
> Casimiro de Almeida Barreto wrote:
>
>    
>> But to have millions of kids using XO laptops it is necessary to supply
>> a product that has commercial appeal. Moreover in 3rd world countries
>> where the political discourse behind money employed in buying and
>> distributing these PCs is based on the fact that children will be
>> enabled to gain technical skills that will allow them to leave the
>> "prison of poverty".
>>      
>
> Those interested in seeing some of these millions of children using
> Etoys on their XO machines should come to Porto Alegre (Brazil) next
> week:
>
> http://squeakfest.org/
>
> Note that one of the technical requirements in last December's tender to
> buy 150 thousand laptops by Brazil's Education Ministry was that the
> machine should run Squeak. So we can afford to be optimistic...
>
> -- Jecel
>
>
>
>    
Some numbers:

Secretaria Municipal de Educação - São Paulo City - 1.029.645 students - 
861 EMEIS & 512 EMEFS

Secretaria de Estado da Educação - São Paulo State
     COGSP - Great SP - 2.721.901 students
     CEI - Country side - 2.716.973 students
     Number of teachers: around 250.000

The numbers are not cumulative: meaning, the 1.029.645 are not included 
in COGSP/CEI numbers and does not reflect numbers of other schools 
managed by municipal governments.

So, even thinking only about São Paulo city the problem is not small.

Current priorities: 11,8% of children in the range 7-11 yo aren't in 
school. As can be read in yesterday newspapers (Folha de São Paulo).

To have chance of getting mainstream, squeak must show appeal other than 
philosophical discourses about freedom & breaking monopolies. In short: 
no perspective of training students in something readily usable in 
market... no deal.

About the bid of "Um Laptop por Aluno" of the Ministry of Education (the 
150.000 laptops): the business is "sub judice" and probably a new bid 
will be necessary.

CdAB

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