Open Source Software (OSS) to Increase its Presence in Schools

Presently, there already exist regional pockets where open source has found a niche within schools, most notably in certain regions in Spain and Norway. In spite of these inroads, it is widely acknowledged that open source software must continue to work to find a place for its product within the education systems across Europe for two main reasons. The first reason is that there exist hundreds of thousands of primary and secondary schools around Europe. At the current moment, it is estimated that less than one percent of them are utilising the product more than proprietary software. Secondly, by familiarising children with the software while they are young, they will become accustomed to it and likely continue using it outside of the classroom. Thus, based on the potential for cultivating future customers, coupled with the sheer size of the market, open source software must clearly communicate its inherent advantages with those working in the education sector.

The British Educational Communications and Technology Association (BECTA) published a report in May 2005, which gave a glowing review of the advantages that can be obtained when switching from a Windows operating system to one that is predominantly open source, based on case studies undertaken in two British schools. Staff were surprised by the high levels of reliability that Open Source provided them with. Clearly, making the change from one operating system to another implies change and will require a certain amount of training in order to familiarise the staff. Given this fact, after one year of using open source, the vast majority were positive about making the switch and described it as an upgrade from the previous system that was easy to use, with good availability of external support.

Another major advantage is the adaptability that OSS software and operating systems have. Schools will have the ability to build upon their system once it is installed rather than having to completely overhaul their whole IT department every five years. This fact applies equally to the software, which was captured in a statement by IBM’s Don Harbinson who said “the life of a document may far exceed that of a particular software product or vendor. Users have a right to retain control over their work, no matter when their documents were created or what tool was used to create them. Open standards in general, can help ensure that right”.

In addition to these positive assessments, the BECTA report also estimated that primary schools could cut computer costs by nearly half if they stopped buying, operating and supporting products from software vendors such as Microsoft. The importance of savings like these to publicly funded institutions cannot be underestimated, as it allows for this money to be re-distributed into other valuable areas of the education system. 

When speaking of the advantages that non-proprietary software can bring to government, Bob Blatchford, director at OpenForum Europe, stressed that “OSS systems are viable and credible alternatives to proprietary software that can bring cost savings as well as security, organisational and community benefits when implemented in local government organisations.” This statement equally applies to school systems across Europe, although it is clear that further awareness must be raised before schools fully appreciate the benefits that can be attained by making the switch. Fortunately, the advantages are becoming more clear to the larger public. At the European Business Summit in Brussels on 17 March 2006, during a transatlantic debate on the subject of Innovation, former Polish Prime Minister, and current Member of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, commented that “Open Source software is a fantastic means of innovation” and that he hoped “it could be opened to other areas of technology.” More of this type of high-profile political attention will be needed in order for non-proprietary software and operating systems to further penetrate the market allowing schools to realise its benefits.