Free software, used computers given to schools<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As part of efforts to fight software piracy across the country,
\nMicrosoft Indonesia has since 2003 handed out 30,000 original
\nsoftware packages together with second-hand personal computers
\n(PCs) to around 15,000 schools and universities across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The schools, ranging from elementary schools to universities,
\nhowever, were still required to pay an annual copyright fee of
\nUS$2.50.<\/p>\n
\"We have managed to change illegal software used by 15,000
\nschools throughout the country with legal ones and we hope that
\nwe can continue doing the same thing with other schools,\"
\nMicrosoft Indonesia Public Sector Education Program Manager M.H.
\nMarta Adi Darma said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Marta said that Microsoft had also managed to gather
\nsecondhand Pentium II and Pentium III PCs from other companies,
\nincluding banks and oil companies, and handed them over to the
\nschools.<\/p>\n
He said that Microsoft distributed PCs to the schools because
\nthey were concerned about the low level of PC ownership in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The ratio of PC ownership in Indonesia stands at 1:847 for
\nJava and 1:1,900 for areas outside Java.<\/p>\n
As a way of comparison, the PC ratio is 1:19 in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Microsoft's Public Sector Director Andreas Pardyanto said that
\nthey charged the schools only to make students and teachers
\nappreciate the value of intellectual property inside the
\nsoftware.<\/p>\n
\"We decided to give the schools a special price and treatment
\nbecause Microsoft wants to raise awareness of intellectual
\nproperty rights early on. Later on, they will get used to using
\noriginal software,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Aside from the free original software and hardware, the
\ncompany has also signed an agreement on the use of original
\nsoftware with many universities and schools throughout the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"We will also train school teachers across the country to
\nmanage their schools so that they can raise money to finance
\nschool programs,\" he said after signing a memorandum of
\nunderstanding with President University in the Jababeka
\nIndustrial area, Cikarang, West Java on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
In line with the program and objective of upgrading the
\nknowledge and skills of teachers in school management, Microsoft
\nis cooperating with President University to launch a four-day
\ntraining program for 137 high school teachers and principals from
\nall over the country.<\/p>\n
President University CEO Hasan M. Soedjono said that the
\nprogram showed that the university was committed to helping high
\nschools across the country improve in terms of quality and
\ncapability to face tighter global competition in the future.<\/p>\n
\"We are concerned about the quality of output from high
\nschools as they will become our input, which later will affect
\nour quality as well. If we want to raise the quality of high
\nschool students then we should pay attention also to the
\nteachers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasan said that his university would continue cooperating with
\nMicrosoft to train teachers in other subjects and equipping the
\ncampus with the latest information technology.<\/p>\n
\"We want our students to be able to study anywhere and anytime
\non any subject. All they have to do is connect their PCs to their
\ncampus' system,\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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