Not When Students Still Study Under Trees: Prof Baryamureeba Trashes Dr Muganga’s One Laptop Per Child Proposal

Former Makerere University vice chancellor and 2016 presidential candidate Prof Venansius Baryamureeba has trashed Dr Lawrence Muganga’s one laptop per child proposal. Prof Baryamureeba is the chairman board of directors of Universal Technology & Management University while Dr Muganga is the vice chancellor of Victoria University.

Dr Muganga has proposed the one laptop per child policy, writing an open letter to President Yoweri Museveni detailing his views, which also include his views on how Uganda can tap into the artificial intelligence boom to spur economic development.

“I respectfully and passionately urge you to implement the most ambitious, bold, and transformative educational policy in Uganda’s history: The One Laptop Per Child Policy,” Dr Muganga wrote.

“The policy is straightforward: provide every single one of Uganda’s approximately 15 million school-going children and young people, from pre-primary through university, with their own personal laptop or tablet computer.”

But Prof Baryamureeba has trashed Dr Muganga’s proposal as “outdated” and advised the Victoria University vice chancellor to do more research and propose practical solutions.

One of Baryamureeba’s concerns is how the laptops could be kept safe at school and home, as well as how they will be charged. He says that companies like Google have tried the one laptop per child policy and failed.

Baryamureeba predicts that over a half of the laptops could be stolen in the first year of the implementation of Dr Muganga’s one laptop per child project.

“Ugandans have problems charging phones and so how will they charge laptops or keep them safely in rural areas? More than 50% would be stolen in the first year,” reacted Baryamureeba.

“Do research and propose practical solutions. It’s been tried in many places in Africa and failed. Google similar projects.”

But Dr Muganga says “these devices must be powered by solar energy to work in areas without electricity, and they must be manufactured right here in Uganda to create jobs and build local technological capacity.”

He also explained how buying the laptops in bulk could help reduce the cost as he addressed concerns that the one laptop per child would be expensive.

“Some will say this is too expensive. Some will say it is unrealistic. Some will say Uganda cannot afford it. Allow me to address these concerns directly with hard numbers and economic analysis,” wrote Muganga.

“The One Laptop Per Child policy is not an expense. It is an investment that pays for itself through massive cost savings that will more than offset the initial expenditure. By purchasing 15 million devices in bulk, we can negotiate prices as low as $70 to $80 per device, bringing the total initial investment to approximately $1.05 billion to $1.2 billion. While this seems substantial, the savings generated will be enormous and ongoing.”

But Baryamureeba argued that it is more important to focus on having “good teachers and laboratories in all schools,” saying that the one laptop per child will fail in Uganda since some students even study under trees.

“So you think it will succeed in Uganda where students still study under trees. Some don’t have doors on their grass thatched houses, how do you secure such laptops?” wondered Baryamureeba.

“Have you thought about maintenance costs?”

He has also reminded Dr Muganga that “projects of this magnitude require feasibility studies,” advising him to “ask for such funds from UCC or any other willing funder.” Baryamureeba is certain “the findings won’t favour the one laptop per child” policy.

You can read Dr Lawrence Muganga’s full letter to Museveni on the one laptop per child project and AI Here.

Muganga previously raised dust when he wrote a letter asking Museveni for an AI ministry, as reported Here.

About Dr Muganga and Prof Baryamureeba

Years ago, Dr Muganga was arrested and detained by Ugandan security officials for reportedly being a spy for Rwandan President Paul Kagame. (See Details Here, There and Over There).

Meanwhile, one man narrated how Dr Lawrence Muganga saved him from being killed by Paul Kagame’s men Here.

On the other side, Baryamureeba lost in presidential elections in 2016 and also lost in NRM primaries for Ibanda municipality. (See Details Here and There)

He also got entangled in war for properties involving former MP Nabilah Nagayi Ssempala, who was said to be his lover. (See Details Here, There and Over There.