[Fsf-friends] IT Vision

[Khuzaima A. Lakdawala]

On 17 Sep 2002 09:10:01 +0530, "P. Sugathan" <sugathan@nsc.ernet.in> wrote:

>   The Kerala IT@School syllabus do mention about free software. But do
> they encourage using free software at school? The approach paper on
> IT@SCHOOL  prepared by the Govt. do insist that, the computers bought by
> the school should have pre-installed Windows9x as operating system!!.So
> what is the point in telling the school children about philosophy of
> Free Software and asking them to work on proprietary Software.?

Yes, that does sound like a joke, doesn't it? Just goes to show what
we are up against when dealing with an irrational Government
bureaucracy :)

At this very moment, some free software advocates are seized of the
matter of the curriculum and are planning to do something about it.

Nevertheless, the fact that a few pages on software freedom made their
way into a school textbook for the first time (in India?) is quite an
achievement don't you think? It will start those young minds thinking
about it at least? And as has been stressed repeatedly on this list
and elsewhere, letting people know about the philosophy of free
software is far more important than getting them to use free software
immediately. Once they are knowledgeable about software freedom and
understand its implications, they will *ask* for free
software. Perhaps the students, teachers and parents too will see
through the irrationality of the syllabus?

Regards,

-- 
Khuzaima