The president said that the Ceibal Plan is more than just providing computers; it's a "step forward toward equal access to knowledge."
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President Tabaré Vázquez participated this Wednesday in the opening of the 1st Latin American and Caribbean Open Science Forum (CILAC 2016). At the meeting, he spoke about the scope of the Ceibal Plan. In its implementation, the first stage of which spanned the second half of 2006 and the first months of 2007, and the second stage from May 2007 to September 2009, the State invested $100 million to acquire prototypes and essential basic equipment and $15 million annually to maintain and continue the program.
Through the Educational Connectivity Plan for Basic Computing for Online Learning (Ceibal), computers were delivered to 301,143 students in Uruguay's 2,064 public primary schools, and 12,879 teachers received laptops. The student computers cost $188 each. The prototypes were developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and manufactured in China. Private primary schools receive the units at cost price.
In the second stage of the plan, the benefit was extended to students with disabilities, to the first cycle of secondary education in the public system, to private schools with equipment provided at cost price, and to secondary school teachers who can purchase conventional laptops at discounted prices.
For Vázquez, the Ceibal Plan is more than just providing every student with a free computer and internet connection; it's "a profound educational transformation, an irreversible revolution, and a major step forward toward equal access to knowledge."
Vázquez emphasized that this initiative "is a major step forward toward equal opportunities for children from childhood in accessing information and knowledge, which are essential for integrating into society," the Presidency published on its website.
“I sincerely believe that the Ceibal Plan is an irreversible and progressive revolution, because it takes place in nothing more and nothing less than the human mind,” he said.
El Ceibal and the Ibirapitá Plan, the latter aimed at retirees and pensioners, "are initiatives that integrate knowledge, science, technology, citizenship, and politics with humanistic values and principles, supporting people throughout the different stages of life and strengthening democracy," he said.
The Educational Connectivity Plan for Basic Computing for Online Learning (Ceibal) is identified by the acronym associated with the ceiba tree, a native Uruguayan tree. It consists of providing each student and teacher in the public school system with a free laptop or digital tablet with internet access.