NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Kenya promised on Monday to crack down on schools operating illegally after teachers called for a ban on a chain of low-cost private schools backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Bridge International Academies (BIA), which is also supported by British aid money, offers cheap nursery and primary education to poor families.

But it has faced criticism for its ‘academy in a box’ model which keeps costs down by getting untrained teachers to read scripted lessons from a tablet computer.

Uganda’s high court ordered the closure of 63 BIA schools last month for operating without a license, using unregistered teachers and having poor sanitation – a ruling the company is appealing.