Education for All: Celebrating World Children’s Day 2024
Bridge Foundation’s Commitment to Inclusive and Quality Education on World Children’s Day 2024
On World Children’s Day (November 20, 2024), Bridge Foundation stands in solidarity with children around the world to celebrate their voices, dreams, and aspirations for the future. This year’s theme, “Listen to the Future,” urges us all to actively listen to children’s hopes and empower them to shape the world they will inherit. At Bridge Foundation, we believe that education is a powerful tool for children to realize their potential and achieve their dreams.
Our Journey
Since opening its first school in Mukuru Kwa Njenga in 2009, Bridge International Academies has made incredible strides in addressing one of the world’s most pressing challenges—education for all. With a mission to tackle the fact that one in two children worldwide are not learning, Bridge has worked tirelessly to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has access to quality education. This vision has come to life in urban informal settlements and rural areas, where children face significant barriers to education.
From the very beginning, Bridge International Academies set out to provide an affordable, high-quality alternative to traditional public education. Today, the organization operates community schools across 30 out of 47 counties in Kenya, offering life-changing educational opportunities to children who would otherwise struggle to access learning. These schools are designed not only to deliver education but also to ensure that students achieve meaningful, real-world outcomes, empowering them for future success.
Learners Lying On Grass During a Storytelling Session
Data Driven Technology Approach to Education
A key element of Bridge’s solution to the global education crisis is its data-driven, technology-enabled approach. Through the use of digital learning systems, Bridge has revolutionized how lessons are delivered and how student progress is tracked. Teachers are equipped with tablets preloaded with standardized, scripted lessons that guide them through each part of the learning process, ensuring that every student receives consistent, high-quality education, regardless of which school they attend.
A Bridge teacher holding a tablet while delivering a lesson.
Real-time data and analytics are integral to Bridge’s operations. By inputting student assessment results into the system, teachers and administrators can track student performance, identify learning gaps, and make informed decisions to improve outcomes. The technology also allows for content to be updated and tailored to meet the specific needs of each student, ensuring lessons remain relevant and effective.
Bridge’s data-driven decision-making further ensures that the organization is always improving. Daily data collection on student attendance, assessment results, and teacher performance helps to track progress, identify challenges, and implement targeted interventions where needed. Whether addressing underperforming students or schools, this data allows Bridge to make real-time adjustments to enhance learning outcomes.
Empowering Teachers to Nurture Tomorrow’s Leaders
Teacher empowerment is at the heart of Bridge’s model. The organization invests heavily in continuous professional development, providing teachers with daily, expertly designed lesson plans and regular instructional coaching. This support ensures that teachers are equipped with the pedagogical skills and classroom management techniques they need to succeed, allowing them to focus on what they do best—teaching and inspiring their students.
Teachers Grading Exams
Before I joined Bridge, I did not know, that I could teach with a tablet where all my lessons are pre-planned. During the training session I was surprised to be given a tablet, with two weeks lessons uploaded, I do not have to worry about the lesson planning. The Let’s Mark application has also eased the burden of marking so many papers in a short period of time, now parents are able to get feedback on their child’s performance digitally and they are able to get the correct answers digitally. This has improved our interaction with parents and given the teachers more time to do what we love most – teaching.- Lanya, Educator.
Parental Engagement
Parents are integral in shaping the future of our children, at Bridge we families to become active partners in children’s education. At Bridge, parents meetings offer a platform where both the children and the parents share their stories and feedback is offered by the teachers, By active listening, we ensure that children’s voices are valued and heard in their educational journey.
What I love most about Bridge is the Bridge teachers who are very caring. In case of any problem. They are very prompt to respond. Whenever a child is sick they take really good care of them. I have recommended the school to several parents who have later confirmed it’s a nice school. – Rahab, Parent.
A parent and child during a parent-teacher meeting.
Creating Safe and Inclusive, School Environments
Listening to children means providing them with safe and inclusive spaces to learn and grow. At Bridge we have zero tolerance policy against corporal punishment, one key mechanism Bridge has put in place is the Critical Incident Advisory Unit (CIAU), an inter-departmental unit steered by the Managing Director and charged with reviewing safeguarding concerns, and steering action. All students in Bridge are taught ‘cheers’ or energizers in their classrooms to help motivate and engage students; one of these is the magic number song where students are taught the customer care number by heart so as they know how to report if they need to. Additionally, Bridge deploys on the ground monitoring for any issues including safeguarding incidents via a School Inspection field team, independent from the School Management team. The team receives training to identify signs of abuse among children during regularly scheduled classroom inspections/audits, as well as audits the safety of the school environment and looks for any signals of safeguarding risks. These mechanisms ensure that every child has access to education in a supportive and safe setting.
Looking Ahead
On this World Children’s Day, Bridge Foundation is committed to amplifying the voices of children and advocating for their right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. At Bridge, we believe that by listening to children today, we can pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive, and equitable future for everyone. Education is the key to unlocking children’s potential, and together, we can create a world where every child has the opportunity to succeed and thrive.
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