Edgecombe County School officials have been telling us that Greene County provided all students with laptop computers and as a result Greene County has had a large increase in the number of high school graduates that went on to college.

Well, they did not tell us the truth.

According to an Aug. 1 news report, presidential candidate John Edwards created a scholarship program for Greene County, starting in 2005, that paid tuition, fees, and books for Greene County students to go to college for free.

In the first two years, his program spent $600,000 for 190 Greene County scholarships. As a result, high school applications for college rose from 26 percent several years ago to 94 percent this year.

Unfortunately, Mr. Edwards in terminating the program after this third year. I suspect too many students enrolled and then dropped out after failing the first semester!

But the truth is: Laptop computers were not a significant factor in sending Greene County students to college and laptop computers will not send Edgecombe County students to college.

Oliver Curtis Powell

Rocky Mount