From Uganda to Nepal and even in remote Tajakistan, they're experimenting. We're still some way away from having all the answers. But at least we have a more clear defintion of the problem. Maybe we even have some hints of the route to get there. From all these places (and beyond), Free/Libre and Open Source Software seems to be the answer for the poor, neglected classroom.

Ask Wire Lunghabo James of Uganda.Says he: "We tend to think of users as people without teeth.As if they cannot bite meat. They may not have fangs. But they *do* have teeth."

His point is that users can use technology intelligently... if only given the chance. An ICT professional with vast exposure to Internet services, rural and urban connectivity, local and wide-area networking, and management information systems, Wire has his finger on the pulse.

"In Uganda, schools began computerising in the mid-1990s. Towards the end of that decade (GNU) Linux was introduced in some of those schools. I came across students aged 18 or 19 with excellent skills in (GNU) Linux. Wherever they go, it's (GNU) Linux that they speak," he explains.

Wire points out how today's students will decide on tomorrow's technology; pushing them into non-free software is like getting them entrapped within that system, he suggests.

Besides, the GNU/Linux-based 'thin clients' solution does help those schools which are resource-poor; and which aren't in the Third World?

Check out sites like http://www.edulinux.org (in French) or http://skolelinux.org/portal/ for educational resources. (Wire sees the latter as a "very good distro".Self-description of the product: "Skolelinux is made as free (as in speech) software, and is an overall computer solution based on school's resources and needs.") Translated version of edulinux.org: "In addition to to have conquered the office of many private individuals, EduLinux is currently in deployment through whole Quebec within several institutions."

Then, there's Dr Geo: http://www.ofset.org/drgeo ("Dr. Geo is a GTK interactive geometry software. It allows one to create geometric figure plus the interactive manipulation of such figure in respect with their geometric constraints. It is useable in teaching situation with students from primary or secondary level.") This blogger's own favourite is the FreEduc CD, a live distro that can keep the kids educatively busy ( http://www.ofset.org )

Talat Numanov of Tajikistan, the IT manager and FLOSS trainer of the Central Asian Development Agency, explains what he's learnt from Schoolnet Namibia -- http://www.schoolnet.na/

(Self-description of the project: "SchoolNet Namibia is a nonprofit provider of internet service, hardware and training to the nation's schools. Since February, 2000, close to 450 schools have received free hardware, free training on the Linux operating system and subsidized telephone service to help get the nation's young people online. It's all part of the plan to empower youth through internet access.")

But, by far, the most emotional narration comes from the Nepal's Kuma Raj Subedi a.k.a. Kamal (29). A teacher in Bacchauli village, Chitwan, he was involved in the Ganesha's Project.

What's it? Read all about it at http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=Ganesha%27s+Project+Nepal+Linux&meta=

Kamal narrates his heartburn at helping Western volunteers build a fascinating project, facing resistance and disdain from teachers over the use of GNU/Linux, the ignomy of seeing a lock on the project lab, and then struggling once again to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat,

Today, Kamal dreams of his own 'Silicon Village', in part based on Free/Libre and Open Source Software.

In between, there's space for debates on the advantages and draw-backs of refurbished (imported) versus new computers, the planned obsolescence in the IT industry, and how this leads to the creation of mountains of unusable and outdated but often-perfectly-working computers.

See also: Schools Interoperability Framework Association http://www.sifinfo.org

http://www.ganeshas-project.org/ for Project Ganesha.

http://www.aful.org/index.html French speaking Linux and Libre Software Users' Association

Open Web School (in German) at http://www.openwebschool.de

Above all, some interesting google hits for "FLOSS in education": http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=%22FLOSS+in+education%22&meta=