UGANDA NATIONAL TEACHERS’ UNION (UNATU)

1. UGANDA NATIONAL TEACHERS’ UNION (UNATU) UPDATES ON PRIVATISATION & COMMERCIALISATION OF EDUCATION, UGANDA by WINNIE NAMATA & CATHERINE ISAGAITE 08TH – 09th DECEMBER 2016, SAVA CENTER BELGRADE - SERBIA

2. Structure of Presentation • Introduction • Bridge schools in Uganda • Challenges of bridge schools • UNATU’s position on BIA • Advocacy campaign • Stakeholders joint Statement • MOES position on BIA • BIA response - issue of injunction • Court ruling on BIA • Conclusion

3. Introduction Uganda National Teachers’ Union learnt about Privatization & Commercialization of Education from Education International. On 14th April 2016, UNATU hosted EI’s consultant Mr. Curtis Riep who had come to conduct research on Bridge International Academies in Uganda. Unfortunately BIA influenced his arrest but UNATU, and EI worked hard to get him out of police.

4. Bridge Schools in Uganda • Since February 2015, Bridge International Academies had rapidly expanded its corporate schooling venture in Uganda. They currently have 500 teachers, 63 for-profit nursery and primary schools doted throughout the country with 12,000 fee-paying pupils and only one of the 63 campuses had a license to operate.

5. Bridge Schools in Uganda (ctd) This transnational corporation was opposed to Ministry of Education & Sports (MOES) minimum requirements and standards for setting up & operating schools (Education Act 2008).

6. Challenges of Bridge schools • Strict automation and mechanization of all curriculum and pedagogy, involving scripted instructions readout from tablet computers (or ‘teacher-computers’) by predominantly unlicensed and underpaid teachers

7. Challenges (ctd) • Obstruct teacher-pupil relations that are conducive to learning and child development. • failure to bring affordable and quality education for all because of its cost-cutting and profit-oriented interventions.

8. Stakeholders Advocacy against Bridge Schools in Uganda The advocacy included media campaigns, stakeholder meetings, community and UNATU National Executive Council engagement, Ministry of Education & Sports, National & International Stakeholders

9. Advocacy with National Executive Council

10. Joint Advocacy with EI

11. UNATU’S position on Bridge Schools • UNATU strongly believe that learners will have no future if we do not do anything about the quality of education today and thus urged Uganda Government to remain steadfast in demanding compliance to standards and minimum requirements from not only Bridge Schools but from all other schools (private) as well.

12. UNATU’S position on Bridge Schools (ctd) It is upon this background that UNATU organized for Global Response Planning meeting from 04th October 2016 to come up with a joint statement and then Launch the EI Research Report on 05th October 2016

13. Joint Statement

14. Joint Statement

15. Stakeholders Joint Statement (ctd)

16. National Chair UNATU presentation to Parliament of Uganda

17. National Chair UNATU presentation to Parliament of Uganda

18. Hon Minister MOES Statement to the flow of Parliament

19. MOES position on Bridge Schools • The Ministry had to have several meetings and reminders requiring BIA to go through the licensing process for their “schools”. • The Ministry thought that the Academy would follow through with the process. 

20. MOES position on Bridge Schools • Their actions seemed to indicate that they never wanted to go through this process in the first place despite the agreement reached with them as a Ministry, of not opening up new “schools” from the Seven (7) centres they had at the time.

21. BIA pays no attention to MoES • The management of the academy instead went ahead to open up 54 more centers (“schools”).  As if that was not bad enough, the issues raised by the Basic Education Work Group of not having trained teachers, no approved curriculum, substandard infrastructure etc., were not being addressed. 

22. BIA pays no attention to MoES • If anything, the situation got worse to the extent that the health and safety of the learners were put at risk as evidenced by the over flowing pit latrines. • This situation, following several reminders, led the Ministry to invoke section 33 (4) of the Education Act 2008, to close Bridge International Academy. The Ministry then made a statement to Parliament to this effect.

23. MOES stood firm on BIA • Clip on MOES stood form on BIA

24. Bridge schools closed by MoES

25. EI Presentation on the Commercialization of Education Research at WTD 2016 in Uganda

26. H.E the President of Uganda Launching EI Research at WTD 2016, Uganda

27. Signed EI Research book by HE the President

28. BIA response to EI research report

29. BIA response to EI research report pg 2

30. Bridge reaction • Bridge International Academies wrote back to the Ministry requesting that the schools be allowed to administer end of term II exams.  The Minister of Education granted this request. • The very day their request was delivered, was the very day Bridge International Academy filed a court case clearly indicating that they were acting in bad faith all along.

31. Court response • Court as a result issued an injunction to the Ministry, restraining the Ministry of Education to enforce closure of the Bridge International Academies. • This injunction has been in force until today the 4th November 2016, when the court ruling DISMISSED the application from Bridge International Academies, with Costs.

32. Court Direction to Stakeholders • The Chief Administrative Officers in the district’s where these “schools” are located, the IGP, the Director Education Standards, all town clerks, all Municipal Education Officers, all District inspectors of schools, all DEO’s and Parents were informed and requested to make arrangements to have children from these schools absorbed into the nearest UPE schools.

33. BIA Fee structure in Uganda

34. Application for license to operate a new private Primary School

35. Application for license Pg 2

36. Application for license pg 3

37. Approval of BIA to build school in Idudi -Iganga

38. Permit of occupation by DHI Iganga

39. NEMA Environmental Impact Assessment certificate

40. NEMA Environmental Impact Assessment certificate pg2

41. Conclusion • It takes a global response to have the Privatization & Commercialization of education by World Bank (IFC), UK -DFID, US-OPIC , Zuckerberg Education Ventures and Bill Gates who are sponsors of BIA come to an end!

42. Way forward UNATU continues to: • disseminate the EI schooling the poor profitability – the innovations and deprivations of BIA in Uganda report by Curtis Riep and Mark Machacek, September 2016 across media houses, stakeholders, and community. • engage MoES from time to time

43. . Thanks for listening . By COMNET team UNATU