Liberia may privatize schools

[wheywhey]

I can't find a good article explaining exactly what is going on, but I thought this was interesting:

The new Liberian Education Minister, George Werner, announced in January that the pre-primary and primary schools in the country will move over to be run by 'public-private' partnerships in a $65 million five year deal. [...]

According to the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey, only 50% of young women and 68% of young men had completed primary school or, if not, were able to read a whole sentence. The situation was exacerbated during the recent Ebola public health crisis.

It is not yet certain who those private partners may be that Minister Werner is in discussion with. However, if media reports are to be believed, they may include the Bridge Academies, which provide education services in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda for $6 per student per month, and are to branch out in India this year.

Bridge Academies work with teachers who are not subject to the same standards of training as government school teachers. The argument is that they do not need that training, because they are there to read a 'scripted curriculum' that is delivered through data-enabled tablets, explaining what they should do and say during any given moment of a class.

What Happens If an Education System Is Outsourced?

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Bridge International Academies has investors that include the UK and US governments, venture capitalists, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates.
Investors | Bridge International Academies

 

[wheywhey]

Remember 2013?

 

[hashmander]

in countries like this where education is already fukked, you might as well try something new. maybe following a curriculum from a data-enabled tablet will be better than what they have now.

 

[A Real Human Bean]

They want to educate a new generation of African neoliberals.

in countries like this where education is already fukked, you might as well try something new. maybe following a curriculum from a data-enabled tablet will be better than what they have now.

How? A major issue with education right now is the practice of teaching-to-test. This only takes that to the extreme.

 

[JBoy]

this sounds like an absolutely horrible idea across the board

 

[hashmander]

They want to educate a new generation of African neoliberals.



How? A major issue with education right now is the practice of teaching-to-test. This only takes that to the extreme.

what they are doing now isn't working. what is the downside to trying something different? instead of zero, a negative number of people are going to pass the college entrance exam? literacy rates are going to decline from there high levels now? a big problem countries like liberia have is a shortage of qualified teachers. if they can remove that roadblock in someway it's worth a try.

 

[tru_m.a.c]

Only way we're able to get funds. Private partnership will lead to future investments. It's not only about showing an acceptance to change the educational output across the country, it's restoring faith in multinational businesses to invest in the future of Liberia.

Though I'm almost positive an unfair investment in education will continue ethnic divisions if it's no properly distributed among the country.

 

[Red Shield]

Remember 2013?

May as well try something new

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Sad. It's unsurprising though. The Liberian state is not strong enough to have a viable public school system.

 

[DEAD7]