The Portuguese government today began an ambitious plan to distribute half a million super-cheap “Magellan” laptops to school children at a subsidized price of 50 euros –about $68 U.S — in a bid to boost the computer literacy of Portugal’s elementary age school children.
Portugal has some of the lowest school achievement levels in western Europe and Prime Minister Jose Socrates has made boosting education a key priority. The project’s goal is two create a two-student-per-laptop ration in the country’s schools by 2010.
The computers cost just under $400 without the government subsidy.
