Bridge Schools drop ‘international academy’ tag as battle with Education ministry escalates

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Bridge Schools have dropped the names “international” and “academy” as they battle to fulfil stringent requirements to operate set by Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports.

“We have communicated to the Permanent Secretary before that use of the word “International” as part of Bridge brand was only meant to communicate our trans-boundary operations. We have schools in Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and India,” Bridge Schools said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement said that because of the recently publicised Ministry of Education requirements, they have changed their registration details to Bridge Schools.

“Therefore requirements for international accreditation and or academy are not necessary. They do not apply to Bridge schools Uganda. Bridge schools are community schools anchored in communities steered by parents,” said the statement, adding that “To be clear, right from day one, Bridge sought to be registered as a community school in
Uganda.”

The Ministry of Education has said up to 1,300 schools countrywide, including 42 Bridge Schools, will not be licensed unless they meet set standards for them to operate.

While Bridge School operate 63 schools across the country, the Education Ministry has yet to approve 42 of them.

The Ministry of Education has outlined three main areas of concern; safety and security of pupils, structures, health and sanitation. The Bridge Schools statement explained the many steps they have taken to address the government’s concerns, including that they follow District Physical Planning Committees, World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Management (NEMA) requirements.

“Bridge awaits independent responses from the Ministry on the 42 files submitted on case-by-case basis. We are confident that the Ministry will determine and approve each file based on its merits,” the statement said.

“We remain optimistic that work on Bridge files will be expedited. We therefore remain open pending issuance of licenses by the Ministry,” the statement concluded.