...DUH! Just because I own a hammer does not mean that I can build a house.

What exactly were these children expected to do with these computers? Is the Romanian Gov't also providing free software to assist with reading and math skills for grades K-6, at least? What about printers with free ink refills or free paper, for high school students? A computer is really just a foundation. On it's own, it's pretty much useless. Building blocks are necessary to really get anything out of it. It sounds like the Romanian Gov't, while trying to do something good, was really not using a lot of forethought.

Do I think that the computers had a negative effect? No. We need to remember that these children come from the lowest economic portions of society. An intention to go to college rests on much more than just your interests at 10 years old, it also has to do with factors like economics and family life. Let's face it, if you have 3 brothers and sisters at home and your family is barely making ends meet, your parents are not necessarily going to be encouraging you to spend more time in school. Nor are they going to spin you pipe dreams of going to college when they know for a fact that they cannot afford it. In their minds, improved financial status means having less mouths to feed, which translates to getting a job and being self sufficient instead of going to college. It is perfectly understandable that someone living a life in which food is a scarce commodity would have no real intention of going to college.

As far as grades being lower than the "unvouchered" students. I'm curious to know, how the grades compared before the computers and at what ages do the grades generally start sloping off in those geographic locations. And like anything new a kid is going to spend some time with it before they get tired of the same games or pictures or whatever it is that they are using it for. I hope this article did not suprise anyone.