The hostage-taking of our education: Microsoft as an invisible schoolmaster

The silent takeover
Those who walk around in a classroom today do not immediately see it, but feel it. Everywhere you look, Microsoft is in the works. Windows on the laptop, O365 in the cloud, and an infrastructure that keeps schools in a stranglehold. Education calls it convenience and efficiency, but what it really is is a silent takeover.

“Who owns the software owns the future.”

The student as a client
Microsoft knows exactly what it does: If you're a student today, you'll be a paying customer tomorrow. Absurd discounts and ‘educational licences’ condition pupils early on to depend on a single supplier. Free feels good, but free means: You are the product.

“Today’s discount is tomorrow’s addiction.”

The Forbidden Freedom
Many schools go so far as to refuse students' own devices. Linux laptops do not come on the Wi-Fi, unsanctioned hardware is excluded. The education that should teach that there are always multiple perspectives actually puts on an intellectual blowband.

“Freedom in theory, but prohibited in practice.”

The technological indifference
Teachers are often not to blame. They love people, not technology. But that's exactly what Microsoft benefits from. Educational staff rely on what is provided to them, with no time or knowledge to ask critical questions. And so the monopolist floats on quietly.

“Indifference is the fuel of every power.”

The responsibility of politics
Education cannot overcome this on its own. Vision is needed. A Minister of Education who understands that diversity in software is just as essential as diversity in books and teaching methods. A minister who teaches young people that alternatives exist and that true freedom of choice only starts when several paths are open.

“Whoever makes our youth dependent is holding the future hostage.”

Appeal to Politics
It is time for politics to take responsibility and dare to opt for diversity in digital means. Schools should no longer be trapped in the ecosystem of one company. Stimulate alternative software, make room for open source and force suppliers to enable real competition. This is the only way to give our children the freedom they deserve.

“A free society starts with free education.”