[Fsf Education] Free Software Platform for School Education

[eiid]

Hai,
Here is the news appeared in New Indian Express on 5th Dec 2002

Kannur varsity students help reduce hardware cost

KOCHI: Even as talks between the State Government and Microsoft are deadl=
ocked=20
over the issue of using legal software, the hardware optimisation for sch=
ools=20
in Kannur parliamentary constituency is being implemented on a free softw=
are=20
platform - GNU/Linux.


The IT@School programme will be taught in Kannur schools utilising this=20
facility.


The usage of Etherboot on GNU/Linux has helped in reducing the hardware c=
ost=20
of the project to less than 66 percent and will help schools to have more=
=20
computers. All this was possible because of the technical support rendere=
d by=20
a bunch of students of Kannur varsity's MSc Computer Science course and t=
he=20
Social Entrepreneurship Promotion Society on Information Technology (SEPS=
IT),=20
the charitable society they floated recently for promoting use of softwar=
e=20
under General Public Licence (GPL).


The money for the project comes from the MP's fund and the savings can be=
 used=20
to buy more than 50 additional computers, says Manoj T R, a third semeste=
r=20
student of the MSc Computer Science course and director of SEPSIT.


The organisation, which has the backing of the faculties of the Kannur=20
University MSc Computer Science, aims at enhancing social entrepreneurshi=
p=20
among IT professionals and nurturing technology education geared to creat=
ion=20
of public intellectual property in IT. The society, which has the active=20
participation of nearly 70 software professionals, will operate throughou=
t=20
the State from its office in Dinesh Software Park.


SEPSIT had to work overtime to convince the officials of the National=20
Informatics Centre which is the nodal agency for approving computerisatio=
n=20
projects under the MP's fund. The order for 140 computers worth Rs 26 lak=
h=20
was given to Keltron Controls, Aroor, only after it was convinced of the=20
technology utilising Etherboot on GNU/Linux platform. Keltron Controls is=
=20
supplying 43 server configurated PCs and 97 nodes for the project.


Each school will have a server and four or five diskless nodes. The drast=
ic=20
cost reduction is possible because devices like hard disks, floppy drives=
, CD=20
drives and UPS can be cut down in the client server mode. There is a savi=
ng=20
of Rs 9000 per school and the money can be used for purchasing more=20
computers. Around 185 computers in Linux platform can be purchased using =
the=20
Rs 45 lakh pledged by Kannur MP A P Abdullakkutty against the 130 that ca=
n be=20
bought while using proprietary software.


Keltron Controls has also bagged the order for computerisation of schools=
 in=20
Alappuzha district from V M Sudheeran MP's fund. The order for over 700=20
computers (5 PCs for one school) using proprietary software is pegged at =
Rs 2=20
crore.


SEPSIT has now formulated a strategy to train the teachers of these schoo=
ls in=20
Linux Administration, usage of free software tools like Open Office (and=20
other free office tools), Xine (and other multi-media applications), and=20
BASIC programming on GNU/Linux platform. SEPSIT also has the computerisat=
ion=20
project of Kannur University using free software tools in hand.