Civil society organisations highlight limitations of new study on Bridge International Academies’ education model, and urge caution in interpreting findings

In the light of human rights standards on the right to education and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, 38 signatory civil society organisations raise serious concerns about the potential implications of the recently released working paper “Can Education be Standardized? Evidence from Kenya“. Read and download the full statement:

Statement: Civil society groups celebrate IFC’s divestment from profit-driven school chain Bridge International Academies

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has quietly divested from New Globe Schools, better known as Bridge International Academies (BIA), a for-profit school chain operating in four African countries and India. The IFC has invested a total of $13.5 million in BIA since 2014, with the intention of supporting the company’s expansion to other countries. In response, Anderson Miamen, […]

Open Letter: Calling attention of investors to concerning evidence regarding Bridge International Academies

In March 2018, a group of 88 civil society organisations sent a letter to all current and prospective investors in Bridge International Academies to call attention to a large body of evidence from various independent sources, including journalists, governments, former BIA staff, independent experts and civil society, that raised alarms about BIA. These included concerns about the quality of education, […]

Statement: Bridge International Academies must respect the right to education and comply with Ugandan Government order to close its schools

(Kampala, Nairobi, Dakar) Following the decision of the Government of Uganda to close Bridge International Academies in in the country, after 18 months of investigation and court battles, civil society organizations call on the US-based company to comply with the Government decision and stop undermining the right to education. In a press release dated 6 February 2018, the Government of […]

Statement: Uganda judgement on the closure of Bridge International Academies must signal a move toward fulfilling the right to education

The 15 organisations endorsing this statement take note of the decision taken by the HighCourt of Uganda sitting in Kampala on Friday 4th November which confirms that the processfollowed by the Ugandan Government to decide to close schools run by Bridge InternationalAcademies (BIA) was fair and legal. The judgment, which BIA says it will appeal, confirmsthat Bridge International Academies could […]

Statement: Response to World Bank President Jim Kim’s speech “Ending Extreme Poverty by 2030: The Final Push”

Concerned community members and civil society organisations in Kenya and Uganda released this response to President Jim Kim’s speech praising the for-profit, fee-charging chain of private primary schools, Bridge International Academies. The statement rebuts the claim that school fees at BIA are “just” $6 per month, as well as the claim that the World Bank can help end poverty by […]