M$ Vendor Lockin In Kenyan Schools
Microsoft waives software license fees for schools Schools in Kenya will have more access to computer technology, with a free license deal from the world's leading software producer. Microsoft Corporation forged the deal through the Ministry of Education to allow local schools and higher education institutions to use the company's software free of charge. Under the arrangement, Microsoft will work with organisations currently in charge of supplying computers to the institutions to first install the programmes on the machines . Learning institutions in the developing world have often been held back from using legitimate copies of common software such as Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office application suite because of license fees that are locally unaffordable. With the free licenses, schools can use the computer technology to build capacity among teachers and students. Mr Mark East, the general manager for Microsoft's International Education Solutions Group, said the main drive for offering the fees waiver, was the lack of computer uptake in the region's education system. Mr East said the company learnt a lesson from Ghana, where its approach to increasing computer usage in schools ran into trouble. "In Ghana our approach first was to build capacity for teachers but we came to learn that even after training the teachers they still didn't have this basic tool—the computer," he said. More >> http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1232&Itemid=4298
This is great news, does this cover Private and public schools? Regards, Patrick On 30/05/07, Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni@gmail.com> wrote:
Microsoft waives software license fees for schools
Schools in Kenya will have more access to computer technology, with a free license deal from the world's leading software producer. Microsoft Corporation forged the deal through the Ministry of Education to allow local schools and higher education institutions to use the company's software free of charge. Under the arrangement, Microsoft will work with organisations currently in charge of supplying computers to the institutions to first install the programmes on the machines . Learning institutions in the developing world have often been held back from using legitimate copies of common software such as Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office application suite because of license fees that are locally unaffordable.
With the free licenses, schools can use the computer technology to build capacity among teachers and students. Mr Mark East, the general manager for Microsoft's International Education Solutions Group, said the main drive for offering the fees waiver, was the lack of computer uptake in the region's education system.
Mr East said the company learnt a lesson from Ghana, where its approach to increasing computer usage in schools ran into trouble. "In Ghana our approach first was to build capacity for teachers but we came to learn that even after training the teachers they still didn't have this basic tool—the computer," he said.
More >> http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1232&Itemid=4298 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/patrick.mburu%40gmail.com
On 5/30/07, Patrick Mburu <patrick.mburu@gmail.com> wrote:
This is great news, does this cover Private and public schools?
Regards, Patrick
Bwana Patirick, Please take a quick visit to the following links. On Vendor Lock In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock_in On M$FT and their lock in strategies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock_in#Microsoft
Thanks Bill Colleagues, there is no such thing as 'manna from heaven' in modern day. We need to be very carefulwith these so called free things. Could we hear from MoEST what software is to be given and specifications of the hardware to come along with the sofware. Muthoni On 5/30/07, Bill Kagai <mediacorp.research@mediacorp.co.ke> wrote:
On 5/30/07, Patrick Mburu <patrick.mburu@gmail.com> wrote:
This is great news, does this cover Private and public schools?
Regards, Patrick
Bwana Patirick,
Please take a quick visit to the following links.
On Vendor Lock In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock_in
On M$FT and their lock in strategies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock_in#Microsoft
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmuthoni%40gmail.com
participants (3)
-
Bill Kagai -
Dorcas Muthoni -
Patrick Mburu