[Fsf Education] Talking about free software in schools

[Khuzaima A. Lakdawala]

Comrades,

There should be no doubt that the most important places where free
software should be advocated and propagated are schools and
colleges. Instead of trying to wean away people at a later stage when
they are "used to", or worse, "addicted to" proprietary software, we
must educate people about free software when their exposure to
proprietary software is minimal and when they are most amenable to
absorbing progressive ideas and beliefs.

The long term goal of FSF-I should of course be to ensure that the
school and college syllabi are free of all proprietary software and
that students are introduced at an early stage to the simple
philosophy of free software. This would require petitioning the
various bodies responsible for framing these syllabi and that involves
going through a labyrinth of bureaucratic red tape. This obviously is
not an easy goal to achieve although we must make a start on this
front sooner rather than later.

In the mean time, we can involve ourselves in a more grass roots
approach of contacting individual schools and colleges and requesting
them to arrange talks on free software to be given by local volunteers
of FSF-I. This approach has no major bureaucratic hurdles, except
perhaps for the convincing of individual principals or head masters,
and promises the immediate benefit of more and more young and
impressionable minds getting exposed to the simple philosophy of free
software.

Here's a draft plan:

Volunteers in each town/city/suburb should compile a list of schools
where they could go and give a talk on free software and submit this
list to FSF-I. FSF-I should then in turn send request letters to these
schools, including the contact details of the particular volunteers
whom the school should contact for scheduling the talk.

A preliminary draft of the request letter follows:

    To,
    The Principal
    <name and address of school>

    Dear sir or madam,

	Sub: A request for arranging a talk on Free Software in your
	     institution.

    The Free Software Foundation of India, FSF-I, is a non-profit
    organisation formed for the purpose of advocating and propagating
    the use and development of Free Software in India. Please see the
    enclosed literature for an explanation of and a brief introduction
    to Free Software. Please also visit our website at www.fsf.org.in
    for further information on our activities and goals.

    As part of our efforts to spread awareness and educate people
    about Free Software, we have started a program of holding talks in
    schools and colleges, with the aim of exposing youngsters to the
    simple philosophy behind Free Software and educating them about
    the moral, ethical, and practical advantages of using and
    developing Free Software. We believe that this exposure is
    important for all students who have any interest or connection
    with computers and computer software, as it will enable them to
    make a more informed choice, based on virtues other than mere
    technical and marketing facts, when the time comes for them to
    choose which software to study, use, buy or develop.

    Sir / madam, we hereby request you to arrange for such a talk to
    be given in your institution by one or more local volunteers of
    our organisation. The names and contact details of the volunteers
    with whom you can discuss the schedule of the talk are as follows:

    1. <volunteer name and contact details>
    2. <do>

    We propose addressing this talk to students of classes X - XII.
    However, we leave the actual composition of the target audience
    entirely up to your discretion and judgment depending on the
    current level of exposure of your students to computers and
    computer software.

    You may please distribute the enclosed literature on Free Software
    among the intended audience as a preparatory step in advance of
    the talk.

    Thank you very much for your cooperation and time.

    Yours sincerely,

    Sd.

    for Free Software Foundation of India

The "enclosed literature" pointed to in the letter could comprise of,
at a minimum, a  printed copy of "The Free Software Definition"
(http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html). In addition, it could
also include the brief and succinct "What is Free Software?" page by
Robert Chasell (http://www.rattlesnake.com/what-is-for-Web-site.html).

As for the nature and contents of the talk itself, should we first
devise a basic framework outlining the minimum ingredients and
structure of the talk? Or should we leave it entirely to the
individual volunteers to devise their own talks? Should we also
include among the target audience first-year (or higher) degree
college students or confine ourselves up to class XII when they are
"least corrupted" so to speak!?

Administrative questions:

Is FSF-I now registered as a non-profit organisation with the
appropriate authorities?

In the event of the above mentioned letter going out on FSF-I
letter-heads, who are the persons authorised to sign them?

Shouldn't there be an "Administrative" section on FSF-I's website
listing these and other administrivia?

-- 
Khuzaima A. Lakdawala