Why Uruguay Is Giving Away Laptops

Uruguay is home to the highest literacy rate in South America, hovering around 98.5% from recent reports, and the country is making a bold step towards solidifying its education system and improving the technological literacy of its citizens by giving away laptops to schoolchildren.

Stemming from Nicholas Negroponte’s non-profit organization appropriately named One Laptop Per Child, the Uruguayan government has recognized the transition from pen-and-paper learning methods to that of the technological form and has implemented and succeeded at distributing one laptop to each student in the country. The program is known as Ceibal (Conectividad Educativa de Informática Básica para el Aprendizaje en Línea).

In 2007, the initial project was approved by President Tabaré Vázquez, implemented as a pilot strategy and was soon augmented into a full-scale program. Since its inception, over 350,000 students and 16,000 teachers have received their own personal portable Quanta XO-1, a basic laptop-style computer.

The cost of the computers, implementing the technology, fiber optics, maintenance and training is an average of approximately $260 per pupil, or about 5% of the country’s education budget. It’s a genius investment in Uruguay’s bright future.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.