Petition Encourage use of open source and free software in schools

Schools spend thousands of pounds on software licenses for proprietary software, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, even when open source software exists that is equivalent, if not better (for example LibreOffice and GIMP). This focus on expensive proprietary software also makes many students unaware of any alternative, leading to them in later life being reliant on expensive tools (Microsoft Office Professional 2010 costs £429.99, for example). If schools switch to open source software, there will be massive savings to both schools and the population of the UK in both the long and the short term.