UK Schools Told to Dump Microsoft 646
kubla2000 writes "The current issue of the Times Educational Supplement is running an article in which they cite a report by the British Educational Communications and Technology Association telling primary and secondary schools in the UK to dump Microsoft Operating systems and products in order to save millions. In a report to be published next week, obtained by The TES, Becta will highlight schools which have turned to free software instead of the market leader's products. Becta does not name Microsoft in its analysis. But almost all schools use some of the company's products. Their conclusion? Schools running OSS are saving 24% on average per pc versus those running proprietary systems."
dupe..... (Score:5, Informative)
Dupe (Score:2, Informative)
[insert witty remark about slashdot editors, education and OSS]
erm, no it doesn't (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Discount (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.nyteknik.se/pub/ipsart.asp?art_id=4041
Saving Money (Score:4, Informative)
IT'S NOT. Schools (in the UK at least) have a very limited budget to spend, which doesn't just cover software - it has to manage teachers (of whom we currently have a shortage due to the abysmal wage they get), school dinners, visits and trips - even things like the bus to school in some places. Now, if this was aimed at the government as some "magic tax-saving measure" (get OSS for schools, save £1-2Bn tax) then I'd be worried. However, as it's aimed at schools, it means that they can free up sizable chunks of their budget to concentrate on other areas (Teachers for instance) - other areas which, in all honesty, probably do more for a childs education than M$ Super-dooper-text-ed-2025++ edition OR Open-tux-GNU-codehacker-6000.
Fiscal geek writes... (Score:3, Informative)
Except we don't quite - only about 25% of UK school funding comes from council tax via local education authorities, and much less than that in some parts of the UK such as Wales (about 15%+). The rest comes from general taxation via central government. But one way or the other the taxpayer ends up sending big cheques to MS, so your point is valid.
Focus on whats really important (Score:3, Informative)
Try to focus on the principles that are important - it might actually make sense to choose a commercial company to develop the software as long as the software adhere to the principles.
For example the principles in the bill that Peru introduced on the states use of software. The bill set forward some principles that all suppliers of software must follow:
http://www.opensource.org/docs/peru_and_ms.php [opensource.org]
Microsoft of course tried to fight this bill since they don't want to follow these principles, but that's their business descision. The bill does not ban Microsoft or any other supplier for developing and delivering software to Peru.
It would really be nice if all other countries tried to follow this approach.
Re:Great opportunity for OSS (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Or they buy it.. :( (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Does it all come down to money (Score:2, Informative)
I used to do support... (Score:3, Informative)
It isn't just the quality of the tool, it's how well you can use it. We need to educate the educators more, regardless of which technology they end up using...
Re:Discount (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Does it all come down to money (Score:3, Informative)
I am going to do my GCSE (14-16) ICT exam in a month or so. It has taken up several hours a week, every schoolweek, for two years.
Questions include:
"What are the parts of a processor?" (multiple choice. correct answer: AMU, ALU, something else. understanding of what *exactly* these do, how they fit together, etc is not necessary)
"Dave is experiencing back pain/RSI. What should he do?" (multiple choice. answers include "stapler" and "copy holder")
"Name and describe two files [i.e. tables] used in this database system." (written answer, 4 marks. I lost 2 because I didn't name the files. "But sir," I said to my teacher who calls a screenshot a printscreen, "It depends on the software you're using, and you aren't allowed to name the software!") no reply.
Essentially it is a COMPLETELY USELESS qualification which teaches NO CODING (even not HTML). It includes OVERLY ARTIFICIAL case studies and questions, RIDICULOUS questions, POINTLESS AND SHALLOW knowledge, etc.
Essentially, the more you like computers, the less you'll like this course.
Almost everybody gets an A or A*.
Also, you learn roundabout ways of doing things, thanks to the school's odd view on security. For example, you can't right-click or use the "File" menu in Windows Explorer. To make a new folder, enter Microsoft Word, go to their "Open file" dialog, press the button. (etc, etc)
Re:Discount (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I work in a School (Score:3, Informative)
And actually, at age 12 I was writing a BBS in Pascal. Age 13 I started teaching myself how to "code" in C [neither of which I'd say I was professional at but at least I was learning it].
As for "not every kid does"
I printed off hundreds of papers and read them on my own time. I experimented with software I wrote, etc...
I'm sorry if you [or your kids] are brats that think school is a punishment. But that just reflects about the parents. If "being cool" and having a good time is all that counts...
And frankly, I was the "odd kid out" in school. Had next to no friends [a few but not many] and didn't really socialize that much. Now I'm 23, work at software firm and those "cool" kids serve me lunch at Subway and run my things through the scanner at Walmart.
Oh the shame. I took the time to learn things and got a job solely on merit [didn't apply for it and I was actually in France when they made first contact with me].
Oh woe is me...
Tom
Re:Discount (Score:5, Informative)
I don't know where you're from, so I'll let you off, but in the UK most schools don't have "a couple of dozen computers" - I worked in a primary school doing IT support for a while, and for the 5-8 age range there was a machine in every room, 5 support machines for staff, and a suite with another 10 in it.
And I've been saying what this article has been ever since I started working there
Re:Discount (Score:2, Informative)
MS doen't have much more room (Score:2, Informative)
If MS were to engage in dumping practises in developing nations and with nonprofits and education would probably be unwise from a marketing strategy standpoint as well. MS wants to promote software as something powerful, proprietary and valuable in terms of dollars. If they raise kids on "free" software then in MS view they are teaching kids that their products are "worthless". As such they should at least require students to cover the costs of producing the product.
As a corporation in the forefront on the war against software piracy, MS also must establish strict license compliance enforcement practices with all customers, even schools and charities and even in cases when they donate software for free. To do anything less would be hypocritical, and might make it look like MS condones piracy by students and teachers. I happen to agree with that view as I take a dim view of "relative morality"/"situational ethics"--if MS is going to be the champion of commercial software then everybody has to follow the same rules.
That said, I think it would be hard for most educators to to argue in favour of MS in the classroom over Free software--and not just because some study put the TCO 1/5 lower for Linux. Back when I was still in grade school there was a raging debate about Coca-Cola funding renovations to our gymnasium because of the strings attached--the scoreboard and some other equipment would've sported giant coke logos, we would've had to replace all our vending machines and we would've had to change the concession stand menu (becasue the hostess snacks, Dr. Pepper and Hires root beer we sold were Pepsico properites). Other schools were being offered similar deals as well (one was an A/V system upgrade and free newsfeeds for current events classes, where the school was required to play corporate ads). In all these cases, teachers and a good deal of parents objected strongly to what some of the more vocal opponents termed "corporate indoctrination".
It seems to me that letting a big corporation own a school's IT infrastructure runs counter to everything those educators believe in. If Coca-Cola and McDonalds couldn't make such deals or had to substantially modify them, then why would we expect any less scruitiny from hardware and software companies? It was such a terrible thing to see the Coke logo all over our school, so what makes it OK now to have the MS logo on the startup screens of every PC? In the name of moral/ethical consistency, all these educators who do not like overt commercial presence in public education should be fighing to get Free software into the classroom--perhaps not eliminating MS but at least to teach students that there are alternatives.
BTW I think the same should apply to Apple (and should have in the past). I think it's great that MS and Apple support education but I think if there are too many strings attached to their generosity it should be rejected (especially if it involves exclusivity or terms & conditions obviously meant to diminish the presence of competitors in the classroom). I was lucky enough to be a young student at a time and place where we could see the alternatives--the first PCs in our school were Commodore PETs (which was typical in Canadian schools in the early 80s as Commodore was founded in Canada), but Apple II+ and IBM PCs and newer Commodore machines followed and kids got to see the advantages and disadvantages of all of them.
I'm all for a drastic increase in the presence of Free software in the classroom in the name of promoting choice.