Microsoft to put a laptop on every child's desk

Microsoft has launched its Anytime Anywhere Learning (AAL) initiative with the aim of providing every school pupil in the UK with a notebook PC.

The hope is that children will be able to connect to schools, higher education institutes, homes and the wider community using mobile PCs and the Internet.

Microsoft has already signed partnerships with several suppliers including Acer, Dell, HP, Research Machines and Toshiba for notebook PCs, which will be paid for by local parental loan or purchase schemes.

Bill Gates. Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, was in London to promote AAL. He told Silicon.com: "Microsoft has been involved in software for schools and education for all 25 years of its existence. That's always been part of our vision. Actually, we price the software particularly low for student use."

Gates said Microsoft's job is to provide software tools for other companies as well as teachers and pupils. Projects such as the Encarta encyclopaedia are still the exception, he added.

Steve Farnsworth, deputy director of Sheffield Local Education Authority supported the announcements, but pointed out that educationalists should look to technology from various vendors to help pupils in the classroom.

Mike Fitton, CEO of ABK, a Cheshire-based company renting notebook PCs to schools, said: "AAL encourages us very much. Using a laptop is the way to go. It's a case of seamless learning, and we hope to work alongside AAL."

Mark East, Microsoft UK Education Group Manager, said the charity status of regional AAL schemes will mean more money coming in from the wider community. Microsoft has pledged to plough back in seven per cent of its UK revenues from AAL - a figure it puts at a minimum of £1m over the next three years.

Arthur Andersen has also come up with a funding model to make sure less financially well-off areas don't lose out, and specific details are expected to be published shortly.

AAL will have a phased national roll out, and Microsoft claims it is already receiving 250 enquiries a day.

Further details at: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/aal or 0870 60 70 800.