Tech Shout!

Red Hat India has tied-up with the Lotus Learning Systems Society to support open source in education in Indian schools. The project is part of Red Hat’s promise to update the Indian education system by promoting learning through IT and usage of open source technology as a stand for learning.

The Hyderabad-based Lotus Learning Systems Society, an institution created to offer the best professional teacher development and establishing and operating educational institutions, will install Red Hat’s open source programs in Lotus National Schools, a series of schools that it promotes for educating students from K-12.

Red Hat will give the school teachers and students reasonable, reliable open source technology.

“With open source software, we can modernise the education system far more rapidly than we can with proprietary software. Open source gives schools flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure and freedom from expensive licensing schemes,” Javed Tapia, President, Red Hat Indian Subcontinent, said. He added, “Open source also helps in building a participative community of educationists and technologists. It is therefore, the way forward, for India’s education system and we are pleased to partner with a progressive organisation like Lotus Learning Systems Society to take this initiative forward.”

Red Hat India said it learned about the need of transformation of Indian education systems as one of the major challenges for India to become a global superpower. For which, it is with full force promoting the use of open source software as the cost effective and adaptable medium.

K. Renuka Raju, Founder-correspondent, Lotus Learning Systems Society, said, “Our curriculum uses technology as a delivery system and gives students the skills they need to work in a progressive environment. Good education must be both, convenient and affordable to access. Without IT, we cannot modernize India’s education system. Our partnership with Red Hat is a joint initiative to modernize the Indian education system using open source software. With open source software, teachers can modify the source code to suit their pedagogical requirements.”

The open source software model is based on collaboration, community and sharing of intellectual resources and can successfully promote learning and modernism through IT. Open source software is easily available and schools can easily include IT in their syllabus with low cost of capital. Red Hat India is encouraging learning and implementation of open source technology at schools, educational institutes and universities.

Collaboration, community and sharing of intellectual resources are the bases of the open source software model. The model can successfully promote learning and modernism through IT. Open source software is easily available and schools can easily include IT in their syllabus with low cost of capital. Red Hat India is encouraging learning and implementation of open source technology at universities, schools and educational institutes.