After the publication in The Economist of a glowing article about the for-profit schools that Bridge International Academies is opening across Africa, India, and other impoverished regions, readers reacted to the article with informed outrage and indignation. The respondents were some of the best informed international aid workers in the world. Please read what they said.
The responses can be found here.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow. The Economist, with 50% ownership by Pearson, which is also a “provider” for Bridge, failed to publish most of these expert responses, or key excerpts. Now we should return to Tilson and ask if he is willing to dismiss the opinions, most from economists, who understand issues he seems not to grasp at all. You know this Bridge cinancial product does not pass the smell test when these economic experts are prevented from having their views acknowledged in the Economist.
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Laura,
Just to set the facts straight. Pearson sold Economist in August 2015 almost 10 months ago. Even before that they did not have controlling stake in the Economist.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/pearson-sells-50-stake-in-the-economist-group-1439360753
By SIMON ZEKARIA, TAPAN PANCHAL and DEBORAH BALL
Updated Aug. 12, 2015 10:25 p.m. ET
LONDON— Pearson PLC on Wednesday sold its 50% noncontrolling stake in the publisher of the Economist magazine to other investors in the business for £469 million ($731 million) in cash, unloading another trophy publishing asset to focus on education.
Exor SpA, the investment vehicle of Italy’s Agnelli family that founded automobile group Fiat, is paying £287 million for about half of Pearson’s stake, taking its own shareholding in the Economist Group to more than 43% from less than 5%.
The Economist Group is repurchasing the rest of Pearson’s shareholding for £182 million. Other shareholders in the unit include the Cadbury and Rothschild families, as well as existing and former staff.
As well as owning the Economist magazine, a weekly business and international news publication, the publisher owns data firm Economist Intelligence Unit and U.S. politics data group CQ Roll Call.
The disposal swiftly follows Pearson’s sale of the FT Group, which includes the Financial Times newspaper, to Nikkei Inc. of Japan for £844 million.
On Wednesday, Pearson shares fell, in line with the overall market.
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Taken from a comment about the Economist article, “It is disturbing that the ideal of quality public education for all, is under greater threat now than it has ever been.” Corrupt Americans from Silicon Valley and Wall Street- their legacy.
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Should we exactly equate corruption with blind greed? To my mind, most of those who chase money — and in the process step all over those who have little — are not so much corrupt as simply blindered participants in the modern-day “American Success Story.” Offer most people an annual $1000,000 salary to jump on the public school privatization wagon and they’ll leap without thinking twice.
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We are always responsible for the consequences of our actions. Corruption is 1. evil, depravity 2. taking bribes
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So we’re not getting a complete picture. SMH
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It is the same market based ideology attacking community schools that is threatening public education here. That these bottom feeders seek to squeeze money out of desperately poor countries reveals the depths of their depravity and greed. Additionally, as the Canadians point out these countries are less likely to take responsibility to develop community schools if these market based providers are available.
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Remember, the Economist was or maybe is still owned by Pearson.
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See my comment above as to who owns the “Economist”
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It doesn’t really matter who owns The Economist at any particular time.
What matters– and what remains constant — is their unwavering belief/faith in and proselytization for Free-market Fundamentalism (Say Hallelujah!)
And given that BIA believes in and practices the same religion (Praise the Almighty Market!), it is no surprise that The Economist would be sympathetic to BIA and unsympathetic to those who criticize their religious practice and reflect that in what makes it into their church hymnal.
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Maybe that’s why Pearson spun off The Economist, so they could write articles and claim impartiality.
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The responses are only viewable as a download. I do not download anything from the internet. Is it possible to have link to something other than a download?
Thank you.
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The WSJ reported that publisher, Pearson, is an investor in BIA. (The BIA website fails to list Pearson, perhaps wanting to hide a company with an obvious profit motive.)
The Harvard-trained co-founder of BIA was described as knowledgeable that ” the social mission (of BIA) was attractive, he also knew that the ROI, about 20% annualized, would be quite attractive to investors as well.” (Harvard Business Review) In Pearson’s portfolio of products, The Economist may have been weeded out in favor of BIA, with a 20% return.
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Has there been any comment here on this Economist article?
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21700385-great-teaching-has-long-been-seen-innate-skill-reformers-are-showing-best
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