Bridge International Academies

Bridge International Academies
For-profit private company
Genre Affordable schooling in the developing world
Founded 2008[1]
Founder Dr Shannon May, Jay Kimmelman, Phil Frei
Headquarters Nairobi, Kenya
Area served
 India, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda
Website http://www.bridgeinternationalacademies.com/

Bridge International Academies is a network of schools which began in Kenya in 2008.[2][3]

Bridge has over 500 schools and educates over 100,000 children. It is aiming to educate 10,000,000 pupils across 12 or more countries by 2025. It currently operates schools in India,[4] Kenya,[5] Liberia,[6] Nigeria[7] and Uganda.[8] It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with additional offices in Kampala, Lagos, Monrovia, Vijayawada, London, Boston, and Washington, DC.

Through the use of technology it streamlines school administration, delivers lessons plan to teachers, facilitates classroom management and tracks the progress of both teachers and students in real time.[9] The company has notable investor support from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.[10]

Bridge schools are different from many competitor schools in that they prohibit their teachers from using corporal punishment.

History

Bridge International Academies was founded by friends Shannon May, Jay Kimmelman and Phil Frei, who met at Harvard University to solve for some of the most intractable problems in education and development, including: underprepared teachers, rampant teacher absenteeism, ill-equipped classrooms, and fraudulent administrative practices.

2008-2014

Bridge’s headquarters opened in Nairobi, Kenya in 2008. The first academy launched in 2009 in Mukuru kwa Njenga, an east-Nairobi slum that is home to over 100,000 people. From 2009 to 2015, Bridge expanded across Kenya, bringing its innovative approach to education to thousands more children every year.

In 2014, Kenya ordered many Bridge academies to close for non-compliance but this order was dropped. In March 2017, the High Court upheld this decision, keeping 10 of the 14 Bridge Academies in Kenya closed.[11]

2015

Bridge continued growth in Kenya and expanded internationally, starting with seven Bridge schools opening in Uganda. Two schools were opened in Nigeria in September in line with the start of the Nigerian academic calendar, bringing the total number of Bridge academies to 415 across three countries.

Bridge opened a London, UK office and was awarded one of six prestigious World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards for innovation in education.[12]

2016

In 2016, Bridge opened four schools in Andhra Pradesh, India in a partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to use disused school buildings to create Bridge schools.[13]

Bridge was also chosen as one of the first partners by the Liberian Ministry for Education’s Partnership School for Liberia[14] (PSL) program, adding 25 academies to the Bridge global count. The PSL program is a public / private partnership.[14]

In 2016, a Ugandan judge also ruled to close all Bridge academies in Uganda but all academies remained open.[15]

Bridge won the Global Shared Value award for an “outstanding record in re-conceiving education for a new market” in Kenya over 2016.[16]

Costs for bridge schools net losses and revenues are estimated and are not released by the firm, with losses in 2016 estimated $12m a year and with a total revenue of $16m / year.

Educational model

It is closely aligned to Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.[17]

Approach

Bridge's approach uses a central team to prepare content and monitor student progress. Bridge equips its teachers with a tablet onto which they download daily lesson plans and teacher guides.[9]

The teachers guides set out the content and structure for each lesson.

A typical lesson consists of three parts:

  1. A teacher demonstrates a concept or solves an equation;
  2. Next, the teacher guides students through the solving of a similar problem; for the majority of the lessons, students then work independently, applying and practicing what they’ve learned; and,
  3. The teacher then circulates around the classroom checking for understanding, assigning new questions for excelling children, and giving individual attention to struggling children.

Co-curricular Activities

In addition to classroom lessons, the Bridge curriculum also includes extra-curricular activities such as sports, art, martial arts, music, and debate.[18]

Structure

Bridge is managed through a centralized system, lowering the administrative costs for operating individual schools. Each Bridge school has only one administrative staff member, known as an Academy Manager, who manages the school through a smartphone loaded with a custom-developed application that connects managers to a central cloud-based server.[19]

Using the custom application, Bridge can track student admissions and billing in real-time and serves as a financial management tool for the overall academy, including fee payments, expense management, and payroll.

The rate of teacher absenteeism for Bridge schools is documented at less than 1%, whereas in Kenyan public schools according to World Bank research, absenteeism in the classroom is 47.3%.[20]

Monitoring and Evaluation

Bridge uses technology and roving quality assurance teams to track learning outcomes.

The teacher guides monitor attendance, timing of lesson delivery, and pupil comprehension, which is uploaded daily onto the central server.[20]

The central academic team can then review outcomes to iterate lessons in real time, or identify needs for further teacher training.

The academic team additionally identifies new methods or resources they believe can aid learning and gathers data on results.[21]

Bridge uses this unprecedented data on learning to not only improve its model, but also to contribute to wider pedagogy.

Learning Gains

Typically, the longer pupils had been in a Bridge academy, the better they perform in their Kenyan KCPE exams[22]:

  • 5+ years at Bridge: Average Score of 293 and Pass Rate of 74.4%
  • 4+ years at Bridge: Average Score of 286 and Pass Rate of 74%
  • 3+ years at Bridge: Average Score of 274 and Pass Rate of 66.4%
  • 2+ years at Bridge: Average Score of 261 and Pass Rate of 58.3%

In July 2017, the report Learning for Liberia, revealed impressive learning gains achieved at Bridge Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL) in just four months.[23]

The report reveals that in just four months, students in Bridge PSL public schools could:

  • Read 7 more words a minute and answer 6% more questions correctly about the story they just read;
  • In maths, they solved 2.6 more addition problems & 2.2 more subtraction problems in a minute;
  • 17% of Bridge PSL public school second graders met reading fluency benchmark for the first time, compared to only 4% of second graders at traditional public schools;
  • 15% of Bridge PSL public schools students met reading comprehension benchmarks for first time, compared to 4% of students at traditional public schools;
  • In reading, Bridge PSL public school students outperformed traditional public school students in reading by 0.77 standard deviations; and,
  • In maths Bridge PSL public school students outperformed traditional public school students by 0.18 standard deviations: that’s 50% more learning in 4 months.

Bridge PSL public school students made more progress toward achieving national literacy benchmarks.

Awards and Acclaim

Bridge, as well as its founders, have received notable recognition through the winning of business awards and inclusion in internationally recognised reports and case studies.

2012

2014

2015

2016

Dr Shannon May and Jay Kimmelman

Dr Shannon May was listed by the World Economic Forum at one of their 15 Women Changing the World.[31]

In 2015, Jay Kimmelman was listed on the Goldman Sachs 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.[32]

Controversy and Criticism

The organisation has received criticism from different sources, including government teacher unions and education rights groups. Education groups have pushed back on Bridge as using a model that stifles creativity, innovation, and goes against educational research in developed countries.[33][34]

Other organisations have criticised Bridge for pushing Western cultural norms.[35][34] Its status as a for-profit education provider that is competing with government public schools for international funding is also a point of controversy.[36][37]

Kenya's National Union of Teachers (KNUT) published a report in December 2016 requesting to shut down the schools for unfit education model. The government promised to investigate and issue their own report.[38]

After a statement by the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, in 2015, praising Bridge Schools, there was a large push-back from organisations in Kenya and Uganda, disagreeing with his statement.[39] In April 2016 further expansion in Uganda was halted by the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports Management, who have expressed concerns that the schools may not be in compliance with the government's basic requirements and minimum standards.[40] Bridge is currently in the process of licensing every school, working in partnership with the Ugandan government.

The welfare of the company's employees has been subject to scrutiny in recent months following complaints of late salary payments, lack of trained leadership, long hours, unfair dismissals, high staff turnover and harassment cases.[41]

It was recently revealed that Bridge International Academies employed a number senior level staff for an undisclosed figure, believed to exceed $0.5 million.

Critics and investors have questioned the relevance of some of these positions stating that this money could have been better invested in the company's expansion program. Furthermore, Bridge has also been criticised for their travel expenditure, having recently paid for a number of executives to fly to the Andhra Pradesh region of India for the opening of a new academy.

Sources state that a number of the company's employees have questioned the need for this and other senior leadership travel.[41]

In Countries

UK Government

Aid provided to the company by the UK government was recently criticised by the UN, given the company is classed as a 'for-profit' business, which undermines the UN's sustainable development goal of inclusive and equitable education for all by 2030.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said it was concerned that UK aid money was linked to private education providers and called on the UK government to refrain from such financing. The UK government is being drawn into the dispute after investing £3.5m in Bridge International Academies.[42]

Kenya

Wilson Sossion, the Secretary General of Knut, in 2016 demanded the closure of all 405 Bridge International Academies, saying they are a profit-making venture. He said the academies are informal schools but operate like private schools. Sossion believes that all children's education should be catered for by the government.[43]

Liberia

In 2016, the Liberian government has announced plans pilot project that will see some of its primary schools run by low-cost private schools firms, with the majority being managed by Bridge International Academies. This has led to mounting opposition from civil society, the UN and teachers union in the country.[44]

Non-governmental Organisations

The company has come under criticism from aid agencies and civil rights groups, including ActionAid and Education for All, for being detrimental to the plan of offering a “universal, free and compulsory basic education” to all children.[44]

Education International (EI), a global group of teachers’ unions, has criticised Bridge for its for-profit model being “morally wrong.[45]”

World Bank

The World Bank was criticised by more than 100 organisations for funding Bridge International Academies. A statement addressed to Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, expressed deep concern over the global financial institution’s investment in a chain of private primary schools targeting poor families in Kenya and Uganda and called on the institution to support free universal education instead.[46]

Cost

Global Justice Now has criticised Bridge by suggesting that “the cost per student at just $6 dollars a month” is misleading. It states that 'the suggestion that $6 is an acceptable amount of money for poor households to pay reveals a profound lack of understanding of the reality of the lives of the poorest”.

Global Justice Now calculated that for half their populations, the $6 per month per child it would cost to send three primary school age children to a Bridge Academy, is equal to at least a quarter of their monthly income. It has also claimed that the real total cost of sending one child to a Bridge school is between $9 and $13 a month, and up to $20 when including school meals.[47]

Scripted Education

Concerns have been raised over the quality and standards of education provided to children at Bridge academies, due to the way in which untrained teachers deliver scripted classes.

Scripted education, sometimes called scripted learning, has been widely recognised as an effective delivery method of instruction in numerous academic studies,[48] and is the cornerstone of USAID early-grade literacy programs in Africa.

Funding and investors

Bridge has received funding from a number of investors,[49] including:

References

  1. ↑ "History". 21 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "What we do". Bridge International Academies. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  3. ↑ Bridge International Academies (2017-06-26), A Proven Approach, retrieved 2017-07-11
  4. ↑ "India". Bridge International Academies. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  5. ↑ "Kenya". Bridge International Academies. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  6. ↑ "Liberia". Bridge International Academies. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Nigeria". Bridge International Academies. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  8. ↑ "Uganda". Bridge International Academies. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  9. 1 2 "BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIES DELIVERING QUALITY EDUCATION AT A LOW COST IN KENYA, NIGERIA, AND UGANDA" (PDF). Brookings Institution. July 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Emerging markets should welcome low-cost private schools". The Economist. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  11. ↑ "Court upholds Busia's decision to close 10 Bridge International schools". The Star, Kenya. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  12. 1 2 "Bridge International Academies". www.wise-qatar.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  13. ↑ "BIA Volunteers to Make Andhra Knowledge Hub". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  14. 1 2 "Partnership Schools for Liberia – Ministry of Education". moe.gov.lr. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  15. ↑ France-Presse, Agence (2016-11-04). "Judge orders closure of low-cost Bridge International schools in Uganda". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  16. ↑ "Bridge International Academies - 2016 Global Shared Value Award Winner". globalactionplatform.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  17. ↑ "Education - United Nations Sustainable Development". United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  18. ↑ Bridge International Academies (2017-07-10), Co-curricular activities at Bridge, retrieved 2017-07-11
  19. ↑ "Bridge International Academies: Scripted schooling for $6 a month is". The Independent. 2015-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  20. 1 2 "Bridge International Academies gets high marks for ambition but its business model is still unproven". The Economist. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  21. ↑ "Tools". Bridge International Academies. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  22. ↑ "Academic". Bridge International Academies. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  23. ↑ "Exciting learning gains evidenced by Bridge at Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL)". Bridge International Academies. 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  24. ↑ "African Leadership Network: Winners For The 2012 Africa Awards For Entrepreneurship Announced!". The African Leadership and Progress Network. 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  25. ↑ "The Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2014 | Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship". www.schwabfound.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  26. ↑ "Ahead of their time: Rebels, leaders and innovators". CNBC. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  27. ↑ "Innovation Awards & Summit 2015 | The Economist Events". events.economist.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  28. ↑ "Focus on OPIC Impact Award Winner: Bridge International Academies (Development Impact) | OPIC : Overseas Private Investment Corporation". www.opic.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  29. ↑ "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Education". Fast Company. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  30. ↑ McGivney, Jenny Perlman Robinson, Rebecca Winthrop, and Eileen (2016-04-13). "Millions learning: Scaling up quality education in developing countries". Brookings. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  31. ↑ "15 women changing the world in 2015". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  32. ↑ "Goldman Sachs | Builders and Innovators Summit 2015". Goldman Sachs. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  33. ↑ "'Academies-in-a-Box' Are Thriving—But Are They the Best Way to School the World's Poor?". Cal Alumni Association. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  34. 1 2 Ross, Terrance F. "Is It Ever Okay to Make Teachers Read Scripted Lessons?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  35. ↑ "ZCommunications » A controversial American school chain and the battle to teach Africa's children". zcomm.org. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  36. ↑ "Do For-Profit Schools Give Poor Kenyans A Real Choice?". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  37. ↑ "The Mission: Teach 10 Million Kids--and End Poverty".
  38. ↑ "Government promises crackdown as teachers push for ban on UK-backed private schools =".
  39. ↑ http://globalinitiative-escr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/May-2015-Join-statement-reaction-to-WB-statement-on-Bridge-14.05.2015.pdf
  40. ↑ "Research into international private school led to arrest in Uganda for Canadian student". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  41. 1 2 "Bridge International Academies Glassdoor". www.glassdoor.co.uk.
  42. ↑ "UN criticises UK for spending aid money on for-profit private schools". www.theguardian.com/. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  43. ↑ "Sossion wants Matiang'i to close Bridge academies". www.the-star.co.ke/. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  44. 1 2 "Low Cost Private School Firm Bridge International Keen On Liberia Despite Opposition". www.afkinsider.com/. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  45. ↑ "Bridge International Academies gets high marks for ambition but its business model is still unproven". The Economist. 2017-01-28. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  46. ↑ "World Bank Peddling Private, For-Profit Schools In Africa, Disguised As Aid". www.mintpressnews.com/. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
  47. ↑ "World Bank Peddling Private, For-Profit Schools In Africa, Disguised As Aid". www.mintpressnews.com/. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
  48. ↑ Davidson, Marcia (2015). "Scripted Reading Lessons And Evidence For Their Efficacy" (PDF). USAID. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Investors". Bridge International Academies. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  50. ↑ "2015 Gates Annual Letter". www.gatesnotes.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  51. ↑ "CDC supports expansion of Bridge International Academies with US$6 million investment | CDC Group". www.cdcgroup.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  52. ↑ "Bridge International Academies | Khosla Ventures". www.khoslaventures.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  53. ↑ "Portfolio - Learn Capital". learncapital.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  54. ↑ "Bridge International Academies | NEA | New Enterprise Associates". www.nea.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  55. ↑ https://www.omidyar.com/investees/bridge-international-academies-0
  56. ↑ https://www.opic.gov/opic-action/featured-projects/sub-saharan-africa/bridge-international-academies-scalable-model-affordable-education-kenya
  57. ↑ "Portfolio — PanAfrican Investment Co., LLC". picinvest.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  58. ↑ "Bridge International | Rethink Education". Rethink Education. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  59. ↑ "Bridge International Academies - Pershing Square Foundation". Pershing Square Foundation. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  60. ↑ "LGT - impact investing with a financial and social return". www.lgt.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
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