[July 22, 2011] One laptop per child project seeks partnerships with Indian IT firms Tweet Jul 22, 2011 (Mint - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The US' One Laptop per Child Association (OLPC) is looking to collaborate with Indian information technology (IT) companies to set up its own establishment in the country. India is key to promoting OLPC's mission of technology-enabled education for all children, the organization's chairman and chief executive Rodrigo Arboleda Halaby said on Thursday during a visit to India. Last year, the Indian government announced it will launch a $35 (around '1,500) computer for students but the product is yet to hit the market. "I will explore opportunity with Indian IT players like Infosys for promoting the cause," Halaby said over the phone from Bangalore, home to Infosys and its rival Wipro Ltd. OLPC is also open to setting up an establishment in India to produce laptops, he added. In case of a collaboration, the organization will provide the intellectual know-how and the Indian partner will handle manufacturing. "We believe in open source and no-profit-no-loss system. But the establishment needs to run like a corporate entity as no business can run in loss," Halaby said, adding his firm is not against the Indian partner getting a "decent margin". OLPC's laptops are priced at $209. The price will soon be pared by $20, Halaby said. OLPC is the outcome of an ambition of some researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to produce a $100 laptop that will make learning child-centric and a fun experience. That target is far from reality but mass production and huge demand can reduce costs, Halaby said. "The opportunity in India is huge. I am ashamed to say but we have only sold some 5,000 laptops in the country. I will not be satisfied if we don't sell at least 100 million laptops in five years," he said. "We will explore opportunity to tie up with IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) to create awareness in India." OLPC has supplied some 200 million laptops in 41 countries since 2004-05. Asked why it had failed to make inroads in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Kerala despite attempts in these states earlier, Halaby blamed bureaucratic bottlenecks. "We will talk to the governments again," he said. The Indian government had announced last year it would procure 100,000 of the $35 tablet computers by 1 January but hasn't met the target yet. A small number of these tablet computers are currently undergoing field tests, an official of the human resource development ministry said, requesting anonymity. Bharat Gulia, senior manager, education practice, at consulting firm Ernst and Young, said technology in education is a good enabler but added that the question to be asked is, "Are we ready to adopt across at a time when majority of our schools don't have proper infrastructure?" Computers, he said, will aid "learning and understanding of subjects. But the overall demography of the students, teachers and schools needs to kept in mind." To see more of Mint, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.livemint.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Mint, New Delhi Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]