Scottish schools to access tailored open source office software
Open source office software which has been translated into Gaelic using public funds is to be made freely available to schools in Scotland.
A version of the OpenOffice suite specially adapted to the Gaelic language was launched on 2 June.
The open source software was said to have performed well in trials at a school in North Lanarkshire, with the complete product due to be distributed to Gaelic language schools in the Autumn.
The translation project was funded by the Scottish Executive through the education body, Learning and Teaching Scotland.
Chief Executive of LT Scotland, Bernard McLeary, described the move as "an important stage in the development of the use of ICT within Gaelic education."
"It will allow Gaelic teachers and learners to use a bespoke software package that is specifically tailored to their needs", he added.
The free open source software application from Sun Microsystems offers features similar to commercial products such as Microsoft Office, including a word processor, presentation manager, a spreadsheet program and database tools.
While OpenOffice has been localised into various languages, it is the first time that the software has been available entirely in Gaelic.
"This is a very important step for Gaelic education", commented Mairead MacDonald, Director of Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig, a Scottish Executive-funded body which co-ordinates the production and distribution of teaching materials in Gaelic.
"By providing a Gaelic environment on the computer, OpenOffice.org has added an entirely new and welcome dimension to the resources available to today's students.'
Related Links
Send your comments on this article to editor@egovmonitor.com
