Free Software in Education and in Public Administration Event

dublin | sci-tech | event notice Tuesday April 25, 2006 12:46 by provetza - FOSS

The event will start soon after 14h00 on the evening of Saturday, April 29th. There will be a 30 minute break between the two talks, and tea, coffee, and buscuits will be provided. Event is free.

14.00-17.00, Saturday the 29th of April, 2006
Irish Computer Society
Crescent Hall, Mount. Street Crescent, Dublin 2 (opposite the Pepper Canister Church)

The Imperative for Free Software in Government & Public Administration
Heinz is one of the guys behind the adoption of laws requiring government bodies to use Free Software in various Latin American countries, particularly Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela. These laws have met mixed results.

In particular, Heinz argues that use of Free Software is necessary to fulfill the state's promise the the citizens that their data which it keeps and processes, will be kept with three principles:

1. Security. No one should be able to prevent the people who do have the right to access that data, from doing so
2. Persistence. How long the data is usable for should be determined by the government
3. Transparency. Actions which the laws mandate must be verifiable by the citizens.

Heinz explains that this can be done through manual procedures, but when it is done digitally, Free Software must be used.
Free Software and Education
This is a topic that IFSO requested he talk about, and it's something that's also important to him. Issues such as access to education are far more acute there than in Ireland.
This should be of particular interest to those evaluating or advocating the use of Free Software for the software infrastructure of schools and universities, for the teaching curricula based on Free Software.