Indian computer manufacturer iBerry is about to launch a new laptop computer specifically aimed at schoolchildren and students. The eBerry EdBook contains educational tools and e-learning programmes and even offers an online tutor. But its retail price of approximately € 617 means millions of poor Indian schoolchildren will have no access to the new technology.

iBerry says creating a “virtual classroom” will make knowledge more accessible to students. “It is more fun to learn something from a laptop than from old fashioned books”, a spokesperson for iBerry told RNW. “It can make learning rich, interesting and vibrant. Students can throw their old school books and bag away”.

Online tutor
The concept of an online tutor is, according to iBerry, its strongest point. Students can learn while their online tutor gives them instructions or keeps an online eye on their work. The laptop also prevents its users from straying away on the internet while studying – users can only access special e-learning tools and programs, while general internet content will not be available without entering a password. These passwords will only be given to teachers and parents.

Click here for a demo of the eBerry edBook.

It will make learning easier for students, especially in remote areas in the South Asian region, according to iBerry, which states on its website that its goal is to “bring about a change in the way education is imparted in [that] part of the world”. However, with a price of Rs 36,500 (€617 or $811), it's highly unlikely the millions of poor Indian schoolchildren – especially those in remote areas – will be able to afford one.

But there are other, cheaper options.

One Laptop Per Child
Openwijs, for instance, is a Dutch non-profit organisation that offers affordable IT-solutions in education for developing countries based on the international concept of OLPC, One Laptop Per Child. It collaborates with local partners, including in India, to improve teaching methods and make (e-)learning more accessible for schoolchildren.

'Rich man's toy'
Frits Hoff of Openwijs says: “With this retail price, it looks like the eBerry is going to be a rich man’s toy. But then, you have a lot of rich men in India, so there could be a market for this laptop”. Mr Hoff thinks the online tutoring tools on the eBerry could have a positive effect on education in India: “There’s a huge shortage of teachers there – or rather, of good and impassioned teachers. Online tutoring definitely has additional value”.

XO laptop
But due to its price, the eBerry will probably not fit into the OLPC-strategy of offering schools and students basic laptops for low prices. “There are cheaper ways,” says Mr Hoff. “We and other organisations are already cooperating with the Indian government in launching the 75-dollar XO-3 tablet that comes with a hundred educational programs and tools”.

In addition to the XO laptop, which is already in use in hundreds of schools in India and Nepal, the Indian government is about to launch its own 35-dollar PC, the Sakshat, which is due on 11 January. However, doubts remain over whether it’s actually possible to produce a computer this cheap.

Up to date
These initiatives prove that there are many opportunities to improve education in developing countries with relatively cheap IT-technology, Mr Hoff says. “But it’s also vital to constantly keep teaching staff up to date in how to use these digital learning methods in the classroom,” he notes. “We’re already working on that with various partners in India, but we can only maintain that if funds remain available”.

One way to raise funds is selling XO tablets on Dutch auction website Marktplaats under the ‘G1G1’  or ‘Give one, get one’ principle – you buy two tablets, you keep one while the other one is donated to Openwijs’s projects in India and Nepal.

“It’s just one of many ways to get more laptops in Indian and Nepalese schools,” Mr Hoff says. “And they’re definitely more affordable than the eBerry”.

Watch a clip of how the XO-3 tablet PC is used in Indian schools (clip produced by OLPC India):