Ce poste est publié dans les pages Débats du site NORRAG sur le droit à l'éducation. Il s'agit d'une traduction informelle de la version originale anglaise.
Après plus de deux ans de recherche et d'engagement, 88 organisations ont publié une lettre ouverte le 1er mars 2018 invitant les 24 investisseurs connus de la chaîne multinationale américaine Bridge International Academy à retirer leur investissement dans la société. Cela a été une décision difficile : l'appel au désinvestissement doit être un dernier recours. Les menaces posées par Bridge au droit à l'éducation et à l'état de droit sont si graves, créant un précédent risqué, et il n'y a presque pas eu d'amélioration depuis si longtemps, que nous sommes arrivés à la conclusion que les investisseurs doivent prendre des mesures audacieuses pour s’attaquer au problème.
Bridge exploite plus de 500 écoles privées dites «à bas prix» dans quatre pays africains - le Kenya, le Libéria, le Nigéria et l'Ouganda - et en Inde. Cependant, les preuves ont montré des inquiétudes majeures concernant l'entreprise, notamment le non-respect de la loi (toutes les écoles Bridge ont été fermées en Ouganda et au Kenya en raison du non-respect des normes), les mauvaises conditions de travail (personnel travaillant plus de 60 heures par semaine pour environ 100 USD) et le manque de transparence. La lettre envoyée le 1er mars expose ces préoccupations parmi d'autres, sur la base de preuves.
Le jour de publication de la lettre, Bridge a communiqué une réponse publique. Dans sa lettre, Bridge affirme vouloir travailler avec les gouvernements pour se conformer aux lois et règlements applicables - et accuse le gouvernement ougandais de ne pas agir «de bonne foi». L'entreprise a affirmé à plusieurs reprises qu'elle était « un partenaire actif » des gouvernements et qu'elle se conformait aux procédures. Cependant, une déclaration publique de la ministre ougandaise de l'éducation elle-même a détaillé l'incapacité persistante de l'entreprise à respecter les normes de base consacrées par la loi au cours des 18 derniers mois. Elle expose également clairement les efforts déployés par le gouvernement ougandais pour travailler de manière constructive avec Bridge, y compris à travers plusieurs séries d'inspections et de rapports et plusieurs occasions pour l'entreprise de répondre. Des lettres officielles du ministère de l'Éducation au Kenya de juin 2017 et août 2016 ainsi qu'une déclaration publique de juin 2015 démontrent les échecs de Bridge pour répondre aux demandes raisonnables et répétées du gouvernement kényan de respecter les normes relatives à l'éducation de base, la santé et la sécurité pour plusieurs années.
Bridge affirme qu'il est « un ardent défenseur de la liberté d'expression ». Toutefois, Bridge est allé jusqu'à faciliter l'arrestation d'un chercheur indépendant qui voulait en savoir plus sur ses opérations - comme l'a rapporté le Washington Post - alors qu'il n'avait aucune preuve d'accusations contre lui. Au Kenya, Bridge a essayé de faire taire le syndicat des enseignants et son secrétaire général, avec une pétition pour obtenir un ordre de bâillon, mais la première phase de la pétition a été rejetée par le tribunal. Auparavant, Bridge a poursuivi ou menacé des organisations critiques - telles que le directeur général de l'Association des écoles gratuites au Kenya - même si elles soulèvent des faits valables.
L'utilisation par Bridge de ses objectifs de développement durable en tant que rhétorique pour affirmer que l'entreprise aide des enfants qui ne fréquenteraient pas l'école autrement est particulièrement troublante. Il n'y a aucune preuve que Bridge aide l'accès à l'éducation pour les enfants non scolarisés. Au contraire, il a été bien étudié que les frais sont le principal obstacle à l'inscription des enfants non scolarisés dans l'éducation, et les coûts des écoles de Bridge rendent les écoles inaccessibles aux plus pauvres au Kenya, à l'exception d’un petit nombre d’enfants parrainés (voir les calculs p.41-50 et dans l'annexe 8, sur la base des documents de Bridge en annexe 7, dans ce rapport). Puisque les écoles de Bridges sont principalement situées dans des zones peuplées où il n'y a pas de pénurie d'écoles, il est fortement improbable que Bridge ait un impact positif sur les inscriptions. Au contraire, Bridge est en concurrence avec d'autres écoles - y compris les écoles gouvernementales - comme au Kenya où l'Académie Bridge est à quelques mètres d'une école publique.
Le nombre d'inscriptions à Bridge a chuté d'au moins 30 000 élèves, passant de plus de 100 000 en 2015 à 70 000 en décembre 2016, au Kenya seulement (en comparaison, Bridge prétend avoir 12 000 élèves dans les écoles fermées en Ouganda). Les parents, les communautés et les gouvernements ont compris que même si des progrès doivent être faits pour améliorer les systèmes éducatifs dans ces pays, Bridge n'apporte aucune des répercussions ou réformes positives nécessaires, mais il divise les communautés et sape la primauté du droit.
La fermeture d'écoles est un dernier recours lorsqu'un fournisseur privé ne se conforme pas aux lois et normes appropriées, comme en Ouganda. Dans cette situation, les donateurs et les investisseurs devraient soutenir les gouvernements dans leurs efforts pour garantir à tous les enfants l'accès à une éducation gratuite et de qualité et assurer une planification et une communication adéquates avec les autorités pour atténuer les impacts négatifs sur les communautés.
Cela ne signifie pas qu'il ne devrait pas y avoir de fournisseurs privés, et certaines écoles communautaires jouent un rôle utile. Mais l'expérience montre qu'il ne peut y avoir de solution pour l'accès à une éducation de qualité pour les enfants pauvres sans améliorer et développer l'éducation publique. Les opérateurs comme Bridge entravent les progrès vers un secteur de l'éducation publique de qualité à long terme. Au lieu de travailler avec Bridge, les donateurs et les investisseurs peuvent faire beaucoup de choses. Les agences d'aide au développement devraient augmenter le financement de l'éducation publique - en cas de souci de transparence et de responsabilité, elles peuvent soutenir la société civile locale - plutôt que de soutenir les entreprises qui hésitent à se soumettre à un examen extérieur. Les investisseurs dans des sociétés privées peuvent également jouer un rôle important en s'assurant que leurs entités émettrices paient leur juste part d'impôts dans les pays du Sud où la société est implantée, ou en encourageant le développement de services non éducatifs qui ont fait leurs preuves pour améliorer le bien-être des professeurs, comme l'accès aux services bancaires.
Ce n'est pas une question d'idéologie. Notre position est basée sur des preuves rigoureuses et vérifiées. Tout ce qui précède est attesté par des documents officiels du gouvernement, des articles de journaux réputés, des documents judiciaires et des informations provenant de Bridge. Des données primaires supplémentaires collectées par des organisations non gouvernementales sont également disponibles.
Enfin, nous regrettons profondément que Bridge évite constamment de répondre à ces questions spécifiques, et engage plutôt une rhétorique négative et des attaques contre les syndicats d'enseignants. Un large éventail d'organisations et de particuliers sont profondément préoccupés par les pratiques actuelles de Bridge et l'expansion potentielle de leur modèle dans d'autres pays du Sud. Cela inclut les organisations communautaires, les organisations éducatives, les organisations de défense des droits humains, les organisations de développement et même d'autres fournisseurs privés non concurrents, ainsi que le Parlement britannique, les Nations Unies et la Commission africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples. Les différents réseaux qui ont signé les lettres représentent des centaines d'autres organisations à travers le monde, qui travaillent quotidiennement avec des populations profondément touchées par les fardeaux de la pauvreté et de l'inégalité.
Nous invitons les investisseurs et le public concerné à examiner les éléments de preuve présentés ci-dessus et dans la lettre, y compris les documents officiels du gouvernement et de Bridge, ainsi que les affaires judiciaires. Nous sommes convaincus que, en toute connaissance de cause, les investisseurs réputés ne concevront pas de soutenir une société multinationale basée dans un paradis fiscal agissant illégalement et imposant des frais aux familles pauvres dans les pays en développement pour fournir une éducation de mauvaise qualité avec des normes de travail médiocres.
Nous espérons maintenant et attendons que les investisseurs agissent de manière responsable conformément à leurs obligations légales de cesser de financer toute entreprise dont les actions portent gravement atteinte au droit à l'éducation et portent atteinte au droit national et international des droits de l'homme. Nous sommes ouverts à la rencontre et à la discussion autour de ces préoccupations sur la base des preuves énoncées.
Traduction vers le français: Coalition Éducation.
Commentaires
Response
We are glad to see the signatories of this letter recognise that investors in Bridge are genuinely concerned about children in poverty, and that they acknowledge the need for significant improvements in education across many low and middle-income countries.
We stand on common ground with them in wanting to see children in some of the most challenging environments given the opportunity to learn. At last count, nearly 600 million children were being failed, either through not being in school or being in schools where learning is not happening.
Although we note that most of the so called signatories do not work in our territories and have never had any engagement with Bridge, let alone visited a Bridge school.
The reasons behind today’s global education crisis are numerous and complex: fragile states, conflict, weak government institutions, school shortages, and ineffective management, to name only a few. In this landscape, there is no single magic solution to the education situation. It will take a full spectrum of actors and influences, across governments, international bodies, charities, companies, faith groups and more to make real lasting change.
We know that Bridge is only one small part of the overall effort to improve outcomes for children in the developing world. Yet, as Bridge empowers children from families living below the global poverty line to flourish, and become leaders in their own communities and countries, the work we do disrupts the status quo; by demonstrating that schools on limited budgets can still have the resources to support teachers with extensive training and learning resources. Today’s status quo of 600 million children either out of school or attending schools where learning is not happening is simply unacceptable.
We are very proud of the work we do and I’m delighted that our investors have independently recognised the current and future contribution of Bridge. We believe, as do our investors, that effectiveness should be measured on outcomes and in the case of education, learning gains.
It should be noted that most of the reports and evidence collated in this report were commissioned by Education International and their affiliates and has largely been rebutted previously. These organisations openly campaign against education reform and are avid protectors of the status quo; the reliability of their assertions is fundamentally undermined by this starting premise.
To address the issues; I am pleased to set the record straight:
Bridge schools are open and delivering quality learning across our territories, educating 100,000 children.
In the past there have been misunderstandings about Bridge, due to the spread of misinformation originating from those who wish to pursue ideological arguments rather than focus on how to benefit children quickly and effectively. False allegations about Bridge are used to try and discredit a model of high quality, affordable education that threatens some stakeholders with vested interests. Today, there is no government attempting to close Bridge. We have directly explained and shown African ministers and civil servants the reality of our good quality schools and our desire to help governments improve education access and quality by complementing their overall mix of nursery and primary school provision, and where partnerships exist, serving the government directly in public schools.
All Bridge schools meet local government standards for safety and cleanliness and Bridge fully complies with all national laws.
All Bridge buildings are safe and meet local standards and legal requirements. But Bridge believes that school performance should be measured by outcomes not inputs. We don’t focus on the aesthetic appearance of our schools, but rather the teaching that is happening in our classrooms and the learning gains achieved by our pupils. Keeping our buildings simple keeps costs low for parents and allows us to focus investment in teacher support and R&D of teacher and learner resources.
Allegations have been made in the past and these were unfounded.
We take our responsibility to keep our students pupils safe very seriously. As should all schools. Any individual found repeatedly on Bridge premises using a false identity will be taken very seriously and reported to the appropriate authorities. This is not a question of transparency, it is a question of safety.
There have been numerous independent assessments of Bridge schools and pupils, which have shown positive results, and there will be many more independent evaluations.
The growing evidence from internal and external studies shows Bridge students learn more than their peers at traditional public schools. Bridge students do better on tests that matter. Passing the Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams is required to graduate from primary school, and to attend government secondary schools. In 2017 Bridge pupils scored 10% points more than the national average, this is the third consecutive year that Bridge pupils have sat the KCPE and outperformed their Kenyan peers. In Uganda, 100% of pupils who sat the 2017 PLE passed. Furthermore, over 93% scored in Division 1 or 2 compared to just 56% nationally. In Liberia an Independent RCT by the Centre for Global Development and Innovations Poverty Action found that pupils in the partnership schools for Liberia learning increased by 60%; at Bridge pupils learning increased by 100% We are confident that every country we operate in will replicate this success when pupils sit the national exam.
In addition Bridge is participating in a separate randomised controlled trial in Kenya led by Michael Kremer (Harvard), along with other economists from UVA, the World Bank, and Columbia University.
We look forward to continued partnerships with economists and the education research community in the years ahead.
The President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, said ‘one of the most effective ways to encourage investment in the extreme poor and improve health and educational service delivery is accountability’. He went on to say that in Bridge International Academies ‘after about two years, students’ average scores for reading and math have risen high above their public school peers.’ We support evidence-based decisions and policy-making, and have been supported by shareholders and partners that also look to evidence to solve the world’s greatest social justice crisis today: that 600 million children are either out of school or in school but not learning. We must disrupt the generational transfer of poverty through schools that fulfils their role to close the achievement gap.
All Bridge teachers are trained to teach, and we meet or exceed government quotas for use of registered teachers.
Each country in which Bridge operates has different qualifications and requirements for teachers. Bridge adheres to all of them. We provide high-quality professional training and support for all of our teachers, both after they are hired but before they enter the classroom, as well as throughout their careers.
Bridge runs a carefully designed pre-service training program, and supports its teachers with continuous professional development programs both inside and outside the classroom. The training prepares teachers in subject fundamentals, conducting interactive lessons, leading small groups and 1:1 instruction, to use a variety of effective teaching techniques, and become comfortable with technology for records, lesson materials, and communication.
The UN estimated that 69 million extra teachers will be needed to reach the 2030 goals. A recent World Bank report indicated the average teacher absentee rate in Ugandan classrooms was 56%, and in Kenyan 47%, while in Bridge the rate is about 5% and 1% respectively.
Many of our pupils attend a Bridge school for free – the 10% are on full sponsorships. All Bridge pupils in Liberia attend a Bridge-managed public school for free.
Bridge locates its schools in poor communities in developing countries. Bridge’s affordable fees mean that the vast majority of the families near our schools can afford to send their children to Bridge.
The global average fee for Bridge is approximately $7 USD per month per child. In country fees are clearly and transparently displayed at every Bridge Academy. In countries such as Liberia, where Bridge is part of Government Public Private Partnership, parents don’t pay fees. Of course, despite the very low fees there will always be those who struggle. As such, Bridge runs an extensive scholarship programme. 10% of our pupils are on full scholarships and attend Bridge for free. We welcome additional scholarship support.
It is important to note that many public schools in the countries in which Bridge operates are not actually free – they often charge a wide range of fees for “admissions,” “teacher motivation fees,” “PTA fees,” etc. As such, Bridge is sometimes less expensive than so-called “free” public schools.
Parents have the right to choose whether or not to send their children to Bridge and decide for themselves whether they wish to invest in education. Parents always know what our low fees are before they decide to enrol a child, and we defend their right to make choices. Our fees are affordable to the vast majority of families that live where Bridge establishes schools, which is why Bridge is popular.
All pupils are welcome at Bridge, we do not have a selective entrance policy, and we do not “cherry pick” pupils to sit national exams.
Bridge admits children without regard to their previous mastery of material within a wide age-range for each grade. This is necessary since many children arrive at Bridge after having been out of school for months or years, or not yet enrolled in school. Given that children come to Bridge often years below grade level, to support a child’s mastery of foundational concepts, we may advise a parent that it will serve the interests of the child to repeat a grade. This decision is at the discretion of the parent.
At the end of the academic year, during the parent-teacher conference, a child’s teacher may have a conversation with parents whose child(ren)(s) assessments have demonstrated that their child is unprepared for the challenges of the next grade. Our policy is the same for Class 1 students and Class 7 students alike. Whether a child remains in the same grade level for another year or moves on to the next grade level is entirely the decision of the parent.
Bridge is actively partnering with governments on developing and improving regulatory frameworks and delivering improved education systems
We are helping the Kenyan government, and other governments, to improve the way they regulate the many thousands of independent school operators.
In Kenya, Bridge has participated in government-led stakeholder dialogues and conferences on both national education reform and on the guidelines for non-formal schools, now called Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET). These guidelines were designed to enable the Ministry of Education to register the thousands of non-formal schools serving 2 million children.
Bridge is also part of the Kenya Institute for Curriculum Developments’ piloting of the new national syllabus, with our school in the rural village of Kinna, Isiolo County being selected for participation amongst the 470 schools in the pilot nation-wide.
Bridge pupils shine in various government school competitions, from athletics to choral and drama performances. At the 91st National Music Competition, 170 Bridge pupils performed, 26 scored in the top 3 nationally in their category of performance, and one pupil placed 1st in the nation.
In Liberia, Bridge is one of 8 government partners delivering the Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL) initiative, enabling the improvement of the primary education system across the country. Government partnerships in both Lagos, Nigeria and in Andhra Pradesh also evidence the productive relationships that Bridge enjoys with governments across Africa and Asia.
Bridge believes investment capital deployed toward addressing one of the world’s most pressing problems is a positive force in development. By demonstrating that high performing schools are possible even on a developing country’s limited budget, Bridge has enabled governments to make informed decisions on how to improve learning.
Bridge is fully transparent in Liberia and elsewhere.
The Government of Liberia and Ministry of Education (MOE) asked the world to contribute to improving its public schools through bringing in new donor support. This is an effort to be applauded – and those donors who have come forward to support Liberia are to be celebrated for their commitment to creating a strong, high-performing school system and future for Liberian children. Specifically, PSL and its revolutionary aspirations for education have attracted and enabled new philanthropic money to come into the country. As part of this, Bridge PSL has been able to attract philanthropic support that has enabled us to create visible and measured change in learning for children across the public schools we serve and provided over 29,673 textbooks, 16,000 teacher guides and 3,500+ desks.
PSL was never envisaged as a single operator program. Bridge was the inaugural partner within the PSL initiative, after having undergone vetting by various offices and Ministries in Liberia. After PSL was inaugurated, the Ministry rightly sought additional partners to grow the program so that more children could benefit from greater spending on education by donors, and greater attention and support to public schools.
Contrary to the claims, this was a transparent process. President Sirleaf and the Ministry hosted a national education meeting in January 2016, seeking input from all stakeholders in education which informed the creation of the PSL program. An additional national education meeting was hosted in April 2016, and then halfway through the first year of the program, a third major national education meeting was hosted in February 2017. We believe this is demonstrative of the Government of Liberia’s commitment to good governance and inclusive policy making. PSL is a government program, as such teachers are on the government pay roll and class sizes are determined by the Government framework.
The MOE has also commissioned two essential bodies of research to inform policy on PSL. The first is a study comparing the differences in learning over time at six Bridge PSL public schools and six independently selected traditional public schools. The second study is a randomised control trial comparing all the partners in PSL with 94 other traditional public schools that is due in August 2017.
Bridge PSL is proud to be a partner in Liberia and happy to engage in meaningful debate but will rightly seek to correct misinformation about the program. Every day we remember that we are here in service of the needs of Liberia’s children. We stand ready to continue our support for, and work with, the Ministry’s bold and visionary reforms.
A UK Parliamentary committee recommended more learning gains evidence about Bridge be considered prior to further government investment, which we welcome.
Of course, investors must weigh up the evidence before investing in any organisation that claims to be helping children in developing countries. We encourage all donors to continue to make their investment decisions based upon learning gains and to look at the amazing results being achieved by Bridge pupils across Africa.
We need to take a step back from this argument and see the bigger picture.
In many developing countries, millions of children are not in school, and many of those who are, receive inadequate education. Specifically, the Education Commission estimates there are 263 million children and young people not in school and a further 330 million in school but not learning. In addition, UNESCO states that an extra 69 million teachers are needed to achieve the UN education goals for 2030.There is a real need that must be addressed urgently.
Bridge believes there should be truly great, truly free public schools. However, in reality, this is far from being the case, so Bridge seeks to help address the huge education imbalance between what is available and what is needed right now.
By demonstrating that high-performing schools are possible even on a developing country’s limited budget, Bridge has empowered governments and others to make informed decisions on how to improve learning. Far from acting separately from government or taking government “off the hook,” Bridge is already an education partner in many countries, helping governments to address educational shortfalls and improve learning outcomes.
We trust that with the evidence in hand, organisations that may have had false information will now work with Bridge and other schools in partnership to ensure that all children have access to attend a transformational school. We look forward to working with partners across the globe to close the achievement gap for children in the developing world. Let us all focus our efforts and attention on how to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of children.
Ajouter un commentaire