Students taking programming or IT at school should learn about free software in their classes.
If only they were! Even though many curricula require students to learn about software copyrights and the social impacts of technology, most will never hear about software freedom during their education.
In the rare cases where students are introduced to free software, it’s only as "open source". For example, one curriculum from the United Kingdom includes this:
(Source: https://www.ocr.org.uk/images/558027-specification-gcse-computer-science...)
True, it is important that students are taught about open source. But open source is only half the story. Free software has been a voice for computer users' rights for decades; software written especially to give people freedom is everywhere. Free software, not just open source, is an important part of computing’s past and its future.
It's absolutely essential that students know their rights and responsibilities when they work with free software. Free software has so much to teach students, but they must know how to follow the licenses that guarantee everyone's freedoms. It’s even more important for them to understand this if they publish their own code or contribute to free projects.
The organisations that lay out secondary computer science curricula want their subjects to prepare students for the real world. They want students to be critical of technology’s impacts and use their skills responsibly. The omission of free software from the curriculum is a very unfortunate oversight.
You can help change this. Help Mission:Libre get free software into secondary education in your country by writing a letter to your schools' curriculum designers. Mission:Libre believes that all computer science students should be taught:
- The difference between free software, open source and proprietary software, and how they reflect different attitudes towards software ownership;
- About copyleft and what free software licences are;
- The four freedoms: use, study, share and improve;
- How to share and build on free software while obeying the licenses.
How to contribute:
- Read the letter Mission:Libre sent to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
- Check out Mission:Libre's kit on teaching free software for secondary school teachers.
- Find out what the schools near you teach students about software licences.
- Write and send your letter (and CC carmen@missionlibre.org in!).
- Subscribe for updates on Mission:Libre and this campaign.