[Fsf-friends] SFI Demands free software in Education

[Arun M]

Dear all,

  SFI, one of main students organisation in India passed a resolution
to support free software. See below for the details.

regards
arun.


   Free Software in Education


     Free software has proved that it is a means of intellectual self
reliance in the field of computing. With the growing pace of usage of
computers and internet as a means of encyclopedia of learning
resource, the need of softwares has increased at a similar pace. Free
software unlike proprietary software allows the users to go through
the entire source code and allows us to modify adapt and develop the
software for ones requirements. This feature has allowed volunteers
across the world to develop the entire operating systems into their
own languages. At a time when knowledge is being commodified and
concentrated into the hands      a few monopolies by patenting and
copyrights, free software by virtue of its licensing methods negates
the copyrights with copy left licensing.      SFI demands that Free
Software should be used from School level to the University and
research institutions, which not only protects our freedom but allows
us to save huge amount of funds being paid for licenses in purchasing
proprietary   softwares.   SFI  further  demands    that  the  central
government should take steps to start research institutions for the
development of free software with necessary infrastructure should be
started across the country.