Ministry of Education in Kenya finds Bridge International Academies in breach of education standards
19 July 2017 In a letter from the Ministry of Education in Kenya addressed to Bridge International Academies, it is stated that Bridge operates in breach of national education standards and regulations.
Dated 29 June 2017, the letter confirms that the curriculum used by Bridge has not been approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Furthermore the letter indicates that Bridge does not fall within the category of schools captured under the Registration Guidelines for Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET). Released by the Ministry of Education in February 2016, APBET sets guidelines for the establishment, registration and monitoring of alternative schools. Therefore, the letter indicates that Bridge International Academies should instead register as private schools, to date the company has failed to fully register its schools.
The East African Centre for Human Rights have responded to the letter in a press release. Zulekha Amin, Education and Litigation Program Officer at Haki Jamii states, “It is quite unfortunate that foreign entities continue to operate without due consideration, adherence and deference to the laws of the land. Furthermore, they continue to expand their operations in full knowledge of their non-compliance. This is unacceptable. The longer we wait to address this situation, the worse off we will be.”
Boaz Waruku, Program Manager and Civil Society Education Fund Africa Coordinator at ANCEFA added: “Bridge International Academies should dedicate resources to not only comply with regulations, but to far exceed them. The company challenges or seems to push for the lowering of basic educational standards in Kenya and other African countries in which it operates as profit is one of their major concerns. The authorities fulfil their human rights obligations by regulating these schools, as has been emphasised recently in the general comment 24 adopted by the UN in June 2017. The comment outlined state obligations in relation to the regulation of businesses such as Bridge International Academies.”