Bridge International Slams Advocates For ‘Ideological Objections’

Monrovia – Bridge International Academies say signatories to a March 1, 2018 letter calling on investors to withdraw support to the firm are organizations that have “openly campaign against education reform.”

In the firm’s response to the letter, which recently sparked global debate about the output of the for-profit education provider in developing countries, it argues that these advocates have offered “ideological objections to reform without offering solutions to a crisis affecting hundreds of millions of children”.

“It should be noted that most of the reports and evidence collated for this letter (of March 1st 2018) have been previously rebutted,” read the Bridge letter, signed by the firm’s Co-Founder, Dr. Shannon May.

“We also note that the 88 signatories are greatly reduced in number from those that previously signed a similar letter last autumn – a reduction of about 50%.”

Many signatories are from developed economies or areas of the world that Bridge has yet to serve. Nearly all signatories have never stepped foot inside a Bridge school, May wrote.

Bridge runs over 500 schools in Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda, and India but now faces criticisms for its business module.

Signatories to the letter are claiming that the firm leaves behind minimum impact for host countries despite massive hype about the firm’s progress. 

But the company claims that “the plethora of learning gains” over the last 6 months have persuaded some of the organizations that previously objected the firm’s work to rethink their opposition.

It argues that there were only three groups in Kenya and one in Uganda, while suggesting that there are hundreds of Ugandan and Kenyan civil society groups that do not support the letter.

“We are proud that our investors have independently recognized the current and future contribution of Bridge.”

“We think, as do our investors, that effectiveness should be measured on outcomes for children and in the case of education, learning gains. Bridge’s learning gains across multiple years and countries have demonstrated what is possible.”

However, Bridge claims it agrees with the letter on the need to “improve learning for children around the world, especially those in poverty”.

Commenting on the Liberia’s situation, the letter states that the Partnerships Schools for Liberia (PSL) has doubled student learning.

“In Liberia all teachers in Bridge schools are employed by the government.”

“The suggestion that these consistent learning gains – across multiple years and countries – are the result of anything other than an effective and innovative model of education is absurd,” the letter said.