This Nairobi-based startup provides pre-school and primary-level education to 100,000 children in 400 schools and nurseries in developing markets across Africa and Asia. The for-profit was launched by former financial analyst Shannon May and her husband Jay Kimmelman in 2009, and has attracted funding from investors including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and the Omidyar Network.
Besides May's drive, its success is credited to scale and "school-in-a-box" technology: the business is able to offer education for $78 (£55) per year per pupil by training teachers to deliver scripted lessons from tablets. Schools require just one manager, who runs the back-office operations via a smartphone app.
It's about "bringing an urgency and a passion to children's education, coupled with design-thinking driven by data from the classroom," says May, who argues that "will and urgency", not finance, is the limiting factor in education provision. "The focus on building schools is also a distraction. The real issue is making sure learning is happening in the classroom, measuring that, and reacting to what each child needs. Most states have far greater access to capital than Bridge, [but] don't have the benefit of starting from a point of innovation."
Bridge International has been the subject of controversy, with some educators criticising the script-based teaching and training, and others pointing out that total fees tend be a lot higher than Bridge claims. "A strong majority can afford to send all of their children to Bridge," May counters. "Even those living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 a day can afford to send at least two children."
Aside from the cost issue, it's clear that Bridge is increasing educational provision where states have failed. May plans to expand into India later this year, and aims to teach ten million pupils by 2025.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
