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Technology and learning

Uruguay

Computers delivered or learning demonstrated?

Studies from 2017 and 2018 · different interventions

Ceibal and PAM

What the evidence shows

The evaluation of the initial computer rollout detected no effect on mathematics or reading in the first two years. For PAM in 2013–2016, Table 5 of the 2018 study estimates 0.209 standard deviations in mathematics, with a standard error of 0.08 and 2,143 students. Users were not randomly assigned. [3][2]

Ceibal combines digital access and support for schools. Since 2013, the Mathematics Adaptive Platform (PAM) has offered exercises and feedback tailored to each student. Equipment and teaching practices need separate evaluations. [1][2]

  1. Ensure access and support

  2. Integrate the tool into lessons

  3. Compare learning over time

Costs and delivery

Equipment, connectivity, maintenance, replacement and teacher support all carry costs. The sources consulted do not provide a comparable total cost per student or per learning gain here. [1]

Limits of the comparison

The PAM result depends on model assumptions and user selection. It is not a 20.9% gain or an effect of simply distributing computers. No detected effect in the initial phase does not prove an effect of exactly zero.

OpenGov3's interpretation

What it can teach Brazil

How can we distinguish access to technology, classroom use and demonstrated learning?

What to monitor when adapting it

  • Access and actual use by student group
  • Learning with a comparison and uncertainty
  • Operating and replacement costs per student
  • Teacher training and sustained support

These are criteria for analysis, not commitments already made or estimated outcomes for Brazil. A well-documented practice is not, by itself, causal proof of an entire country's success.

Sources consulted

Consulted on 10/29/2026. Each result retains its observed period; institutional descriptions and impact evaluations have different scopes.

  1. World Bank — Ceibal: Transforming Education in Uruguay (2024) (opens in a new tab)

    2024 institutional overview: Ceibal's development, infrastructure and support; it does not isolate a causal effect of the system.

  2. Perera & Aboal — Impact Evaluation of PAM on Learning (2018) (opens in a new tab)

    2018 study, Table 5: PAM in 2013–2016, coefficient, standard error and non-random selection.

  3. de Melo, Machado & Miranda — One Laptop per Child: Uruguay (2017) (opens in a new tab)

    2017 study: initial rollout, difference-in-differences comparison and the first two years.