Blighty's schools shake on new 3-year deal with Microsoft The Department for Education claims a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft will save schools £10m on licensing over the next three years, in part by "factoring freeware" into the deal. The agreement began 1 January and runs until the end of 2015 giving schools across the UK the option to buy Microsoft …
@AC It hadn't been my intention to be gratuitously insulting. I'd presumed a certain amount of similarity with the Environment Agency, with which I have had some dealings. The Peter Principle, promotion to the level of incompetence, really does seem to be valid.
About a decade ago a friend of mine had been called in to help draft the maths part of National Curriculum. The English section was already more or less finished. She was frustrated and somewhat disgusted by an overall requirement that had been imposed. It had been decreed from on high that the course structure and format of Mathematics should be more or less identical with English, despite the huge differences in the nature of the subjects and the ways in which they are best taught. More recently, another friend worked for a while in a government educational supply department. The level of waste was shocking.
So, please accept my apologies if I was inadvertently rude to any government employees who are working to make things better. My aim had been hopefully to stir a bit of discontent in the ranks and thus promote change.
@David Pollard:
Jesus! I wasn't expecting that! You misunderstood me. It had been my intention to be gratuitously sarcastic and insolent.
The intended gist of my cynical, snide, pseudo-fatuous rebuke had been more along the lines of:
"Well, d-uh! Of course they're all duffers in the Department of Education. Have you seen what they've done to the education system? FFS! QED"
The last thing I'd expected was to be mistaken for sincere and thus solicit a thoughtful and considered reply. I keep forgetting you can't do sarcasm in type. Still, I'm glad I was misinterpreted. I prefer your interpretation, and the reply it provoked is certainly a valuable addition to the discussion. Well done me! ;o)
Anyway, there is a (somewhat cynical, again, I'm afraid!) point to this post...
Re. Your initial thought that perhaps there's someone sane and conscientious on high who might hear and heed our cries. I doubt it. The prostitutes in Rio (or wherever the minute fraction of our money that gets directed back at them in inducements leads them) are probably far too comfortable. If stuff like this: http://royalsociety.org/education/policy/computing-in-schools/report/ can't change their course, I don't hold much hope for our insignificant potty-mouthed clique of geek-plebs. I'm not always this cynical. Honest! I blame the topic. ...but perhaps the mere (public) existence of stuff like that report is a sign that the dark veil might be lifting. Despite the cynicism , this commentard's fingers are firmly crossed.
I've reversed my clicking episode. Please accept my apologies as although I was intentionally rude to a fellow commentard who is working to make things better, my aim had been hopefully to stir a bit of discontent in the ranks and thus promote change.
Good luck with your stirrings!
I am the proud possessor of what is possibly one of the first secondary level qualifications in IT. We did CESIL, a bit of ALGOL , some flow charting, and an introduction to FORTRAN. The examination included reading a section of paper tape.... by eye.
The fact that none of these specific skills are a direct value to me now is irrelevant. The education was catholic, and meant that my understanding and use of IT evolved with the technology and needs. I don't think it matters that my kids have all learned to use MS products under the flag of computer science. They are smart enough to adapt to a different Office suite if you plonked them in front of it. The problem is that they are really restricted by not doing much other than MS Office.
I suspect that things may be changing though. The two eldest achieved GCSEs without ever doing anything remotely non MS. However, the youngest (12) recently showed me some LOGO he had written, and when I squeaked in recognition he asked "did they have LOGO back in your day dad?" So. No history of programming taught either, eh?
I'm an IT Manager in several schools and I sure as hell haven't seen this licensing.
Schools are left to sort this out themselves. The only help I've been offered is from my LEA (run by Capita) who for an EES schools agreement are actually MORE expensive per user than going direct to Capita themselves!
It's all tosh, central government doesn't hand licenses, or subsidies out to schools for licensing costs. We have to do it ourselves out of own budgets.
Seem this is about MS vs Linux, so passion comes into play. I do believe governments should try to save where possible but at the same time schools have to prepare kids for the real world. I would like my kids to leave school understanding the basics of what MS has to offer but also what Linux has to offer so they can make informed choices for themselves not become MS Clones or Linux clones. The desktop / PC Era is showing a decline we are seeing smart devices, virtual desktops etc etc...I would like my kids to understand these technologies not just be MS Clones. Teach them about Computing SW, HW and the market as a whole, most teenagers can manage office products (whatever they are) better than the teachers who teach them..
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