Summary: Microsoft's very latest tricks with schools around the world are dissected and explained

A couple of days ago we wrote about 'funny money' which Microsoft would supposedly give to Mississippi. The short story is that it's not real money and it may actually help Microsoft elevate revenue rather than suffer from fines. Now, from Mississippi we move on to Missouri, which evidently turns its students to Microsoft customers, no matter if they like it or not. We have covered many similar stories recently [1, 2, 3, 4]. It's a form of child abuse to assign a commercial master to youngsters/adolescents so early in their lives (and leaving them no choice).

Over at Wisconsin, kids may suffer a similar fate because rather than compensate for crime using real money, Microsoft is offering vouchers whose ridiculousness we last explained some months ago.

Wisconsin schools in line for millions of dollars in Microsoft vouchers

[...]

The settlement lays out $75 million to $80 million in reimbursements for a wide range of technology products and services. The exact amount is still being determined.

Why can't Microsoft be properly fined? Why can't there be no real punishment to prove that markets rules are effective and thus discourage repeated offences? Those who consider it a win for Wisconsin simply don't understand this simple old trick. Almost all journalists happily ignore the other side of the coin and instead deliver just the message which requires zero investigation. See for example:

• ECASD: Microsoft Settlement Leads to $750,000 for District
• Wis. schools to get tech vouchers from Microsoft
• Schools May Get Some Microsoft Money

Another theme of stories that require more thorough research is Microsoft's digital colonisation in Africa (and other places too for that matter). Here is the latest PR stunt from Microsoft in Nigeria. They gain more control over schools this way.

Citizenship Manager for Microsoft in Nigeria, Jummai Umar-Ajijola said the Innovative Teachers Forum, which is a part of Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) programme, is a reflection of Microsoft’s commitment to bridging the digital divide in Africa’s education. The two-day Forum, hosted by Microsoft in association with SchoolNet was also an opportunity for participating teachers to exchange best practices and share experiences with their peers from across the various states of the country.

Microsoft brags about some other public relations stunts, which bear profound shades of Rockefeller. ⬆