The tiny south pacific island of Niue has beaten the “greatest nation on earth” the US.
Don’t worry, not in the Olympic games.
Niue became the first nation in the world to issue laptop computers to all its children.
Every primary and secondary school student was this week given a rugged ” relatively waterproof and breakproof” little green laptop, which has a wireless connection to the Internet as part of the One Laptop Per Child.
The computers have been specially designed by a U.S.-based charity, to help children’s learning and to be cheap as well as difficult to break or damage.
The program stems from research and development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston in the U.S. and has been supported by businesses including News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch and Google Inc.
News Corp. is the owner of Dow Jones, the publisher of this newswire.
The donation of 500 computers to Niue, which has a total population of fewer than 1,500, is part of an initiative to distribute 5,000 laptops in the Pacific region.
The laptops are designed for primary school children aged six to 12 but also have been given to high school students in Niue, where the inhabitants have free Internet access.
Now wouldn’t that be a good thing for the US to provide to all of its children.
The US children are not in the top 20 of industrialized countries when it comes to math and science tests.
Ben Wilks says
Google will get there first.
Brilliant initiative on Nieu’s behalf.
Damir says
A Nation’ greatness is measured the way it treats its poor people – by getting them out of poverty
Troy says
Dang! I feel really bad that we aren’t giving away computers to all of our 100 million kids. I mean if Niue can do it for all of their 500 kids then why couldn’t we do it for all of ours? We only have 200,000 times as many. Heck, maybe the charity wouldb glad to give us 200,000 free computers to show what great people they are.
Damir,
A nation does not help anyone when it gives them things, the only way a nation should help get people out of poverty is to take away things that hold people back…
MHB says
Troy
I think if we would have taken those $300 and $600 tax rebates checks, which didn’t do a thing to stimulate the economy, and bought every kid five an older (way less than 100 million) a $300 laptop we would have been much better off five years from now
Matt says
Thanks for the news I just registered Niuelaptop(s).com because of this post. Thanks! It’s gotta be worth something decent right?
NiueNoteBook(s).com is still available.
Matt