On July 11, the Ministry of Education provided specially designed laptops through the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Afghanistan program to 279 children and teachers from grades four through six at Firdausi High School. These computers will be integrated into the school’s teaching curricula, providing students with vast educational resources including access to word processing and e-mail. Equipped with internet connectivity, educational software, and a small business tutorial and market information toolkit provided in Dari and Pashto by USAID, the computers are a valuable tool for the entire family.
“The integration of this technology into schools across the country is changing the face of education in Afghanistan, offering children a window to the outside world, access to educational resources, and empowering them for future growth and development,” said Earl Gast, USAID Afghanistan Mission Director. “These computers are an investment in Afghanistan’s most important resource – its people.”
The innovative OLPC Afghanistan program is a public-private partnership between USAID, the U.S.-based One Laptop per Child Foundation, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Roshan Social Programs, and the Afghan telecom company Paiwastoon Networking Services. USAID is providing financial support for the program through its Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) project. Thus far, 3,500 laptops – more than half of the total committed – have been distributed in schools throughout the country. This successful venture improves Afghanistan’s educational system and rebuilds the country’s human capacity, creating opportunities for much-needed income generation.