Kerala's Schools to Use Only Linux

Kerala will become the first state in India to completely switch from Microsoft Windows to only GNU/Linux free software to be used in the mandatory IT test at the state SSLC examinations.

Until last year, the students could take the test either by using Windows or Linux. From now on, the use of GNU/Linux free software will be compulsory, because the state government ordered so a few weeks ago. Now, in IT education, high school students will use the new Linux text books created by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the Free Software Foundation from India.

All the high schools in Kerala will have high-speed broadband Internet connections by this July, by using free software. Education Minister M. A. Baby said: "We are now moving from IT education to IT-enabled education in our schools, using only free software."

The big cost of maintaining the massive Windows-based infrastructure seems to be the main reason behind completely abandoning Windows solutions and moving to Linux applications.

Last year, the Left Government vowed to use only free, open-source software in every project they might create, and declared it would motivate – by using funds, I think – companies developing free software. A senior state IT official said: "There were some initial fears and some understandable resistance, but things have been smoothing out faster than we thought."

These two words "freedom" and "compulsory" don't get along too well, from my point of view. By forcing the students to use ONLY free and open-source applications will just turn out to be a bad idea. Of course, there will be a few persons who might like the idea, but this will scare everyone else. No one can force knowledge in someone's mind, that's why only some of the students, let's say a mere 20-30 percent of them, will be fully interested in Linux, while the others will consider learning it a boring process.



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