[Fsf-friends] Need Free software in 11th Class

[V. Sasi Kumar]

On Tue, 2005-08-23 at 08:00 +0100, Pramode C.E. wrote:

> C++ is a horrible language to teach introductory
> Computer Science - you spend most of the time
> struggling with syntax; time which is better spent
> studying the problem solving process itself. We need
> to:
> 
> a) Kick out C/C++ from our +2 syllabus and introduce
> Scheme/Python instead (the TeachScheme project is
> trying to do this in the US; they have a great GPL'd
> programming environment for Scheme called Dr.Scheme
> and 
> a very well written textbook called `How To Design
> programs' both of which are extremely innovative)
> 
> b) Kick out DOS/Windoze and introduce GNU/Linux
> instead.

We are all agreed on this. Atleast, I think we do. If you see what the
syllabus contains, you would faint. They have virtually everything that
there may be to study about C++. One Higher Secondary teacher told me
that most of what they studied in MCA is included in the syllabus!

But one problem everyone is facing is that many parents want their
children to study things like C++, which they think will be 'useful'.
Another problem is that the members of the syllabus committees are not
aware of anything other than C++, Java, etc. and they possibly think
things like Perl or Python are inferior. These are two obstacles that
are difficult to overcome today. Of course, the third problem is that
most of the teachers have hardly any idea of anything other than C or C
++. I remember that Arun and others had made an effort to introduce
something else instead of Basic in the high school classes, which was
rejected outright because no one on the board had any idea of anything
else. We have a tough task ahead.

On the other hand, the leading teachers association in Kerala is taking
a strong interest in promoting Free Software. So there is a reasonable
chance that most schools here would be using GNU/Linux in the high
school IT education in a couple of years.

-- 
V. Sasi Kumar <sasi.fsf@gmail.com>
Free Software Foundation of India