Until recently, the World Bank has been a vocal supporter of for-profit privatized education such as that offered by Bridge International, which had been expanding rapidly in Africa.
Thanks in large part to the work of Education International, a world confederation of teachers’ unions, the World Bank has changed its policy.
In a sudden and far-reaching policy shift, World Bank President David Malpass has agreed to major reforms that include officially freezing any direct or indirect investments in private for-profit pre-primary, primary and secondary schools. This has been a critical issue for Education International for many years and has been the key focus of our interactions with the Bank.
It has also been a major thrust of our Global Response campaign, where member organisations, regions and the EI secretariat have worked together to research and expose the activities of private, for-profit firms. Examples of that work include Uganda and Kenya, where illegal operations took place or labour standards and regulations were violated by Bridge International Academies.
Given that the World Bank is the largest funder of education in the developing world, EI has been keeping a close eye on their work. We have repeatedly and publicly challenged them for promoting privatisation, attacking teachers and undermining quality education systems and have tried to engage in dialogue – in meetings, including with EI officers and through letters, reports, and other methods. Not only did policy and financial support for private, for-profit, education operators like Bridge International Academies continue, but it increased. Some national foreign assistance agencies, including the UKs Dfid and USAID as well as private funders joined the parade. It was an ideological and profit-driven attack on public education.
Two things altered the situation. First, a pro-labour majority was elected in the US House of Representatives in the 2018 mid-term elections. That shifted leadership of key committees to members who were friendlier to trade union views. Second, the COVID-19 crisis required a broad consensus among the House, the Senate, and the White House to adopt a 2-trillion-dollar relief package. The positions of the World Bank evolved in discussions between the House Financial Services Committee chaired by Maxine Waters (D-California), and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
These actions built on growing global recognition of the damage done by private, for-profit education. That increasing concern includes a decision by the European Parliament and an agreement by the Board of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
World Bank polices and advice to many countries have long supported private delivery of education and other public services. Although it has officially committed to support the Sustainable Development Goals, much of its policy and actions run counter to that global consensus.
Financial support for private, for-profit education firms came largely from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is charged with making loans to the private sector. Under the agreement with the US, the IFC will freeze all support to private, for profit schools, including through direct investment, indirect investment and advisory services
EI continues to pressure the Workd Bank to adopt progressive policies that recognize workers’ rights and the need to regulate businesses practices.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is likely to be bad news for poor children in the developing world. For information about the extent and effectiveness of “public schools” in the developing world, see https://ppe.mercatus.org/uploadedFiles/Mercatus/Events/Priavte%20and%20Public%20Schooling%20in%20low-income%20areas%20of%20Lagos%20State.pdf
Why are you citing a far-right think tank funded by Charles Koch on a blog whose owner is opposed to privatization? Your Koch and DeVos ideology does not help the poor.
I am citing an article published in the International Journal of Education Research. Did you not look at the link before responding?
The article comes from the Mercatus Center, which is Koch-funded and Koch-created.
The article comes from the International Journal of Education Research.
It would certainly be helpful if you could cite some published, peer reviewed research supporting your view that public education in the developing world is superior to private education or even that developing world public education even minimally adequate.
In my view, many here are applauding the sacrifice a couple of generations of other peoples children in order to reduce their own cognitive dissonance.
I don’t care where it was published.
Privatization does not produce better education for the poor.
Not in the US and not in Africa.
Why do you think the World Bank turned against it? Did its directors fail to read the peer-reviewed Koch-funded paean to privatization? Maybe you could send it to the World Bank for their review.
Anyone who thinks that privatization of public services is “good” for poor children is funded by somerightwing billionaire or another. In this case, Charles Koch.
This is bad news for Pear$on.
Pear$on: Profit$ over People
Pearson is heavily invested in providing for-profit private schools in the Third World.
Yes. These people are despicable. They sold off their terrible K-12 courseware, in a fire sale, to an equity firm. So, they are no longer in the K-12 textbook business, but they held on to their standardized testing unit and their virtual schools, and they intend to take for-profit virtual schooling worldwide. Evil.
Billionaires from the developed world funding the privatization of public services in the developing world unravels national sovereignty and is a form of colonialism. Saying that ending the practice would be bad for children in the developing world is like saying it would be bad for the U.S. government to stop toppling foreign governments. It just isn’t so.
Diane This is such good news, so welcome at the present time. Thank you for posting this. The pandemic really does show the limitations of competitive capitalism understood as the ONLY driving force for good order in the world. CBK
Totally off-topic, but I just had to say that the teachers from our local public elementary school just did a car parade all around the neighborhood to reach out to and encourage their students. It was one of the most uplifting things I’ve seen since this nightmare began.
Again, a major shout out to all teachers who are doing their best to stay connected to their students in whatever way they are managing to do so! I’m no fan of “e-learning”, but just the connection my daughters have been able to maintain with their teachers and classmates has been a lifeline. All while I know that teachers are dealing with their own personal needs and crises. Thank you all!
The car parades are wonderful!
My nephew worked for The World Bank for a few years. He was involved with micro-lending projects for women in Asia. The main objective was to help women become self sufficient. When he realized that the system was putting poor women in to debt, he quit. Some of these ventures may sound promising and progressive from the descriptions. However, until they are fully implemented, we may not fully comprehend the impact. This has certainly been the case with privatization of public education in every part of the world.
This is good news. The billionaire funders of Bridge International Acadmies will not be pleased. BIA is funded by American billionaires Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others from Wall Street Neither, as Bob Shepherd notes, will Pearson be pleased. It has APEC Schools, a joint venture with Ayala, a huge conglomerate in the Phillipines.
Hey! Some good news for once. Not that you don’t put good news on your site, Diane, but just because we have had so little good news in general.
This is really good news!
Education International (EI) highlights the importance of having watchdogs over privatized education. Privatized schools have been allowed to hide maltreatment of children behind the glitter & glamour of its funders fawning public relations teams. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oprah/oprah-cleans-house-in-south-africa-school-abuse-case-idUSL0516946620071106
These shameful charter industry scandals lay bare the ruling class’ cozy relationship to powerful politicians. The work of (EI) is a model for our own teacher’s unions. I’m waiting for the AFT/NEA to make bold statements like this to any democrat and republican running for office: “EI has been keeping a close eye on their work. We have repeatedly and publicly challenged them for promoting privatisation, attacking teachers and undermining quality education systems and have tried to engage in dialogue.”
BIA is one of the worst examples that signify education corruption. Private education only helps a tiny portion of students who are lucky enough to be born to the rich, affluent family. The remaining 90% are going to be thrown in the gutter. That’s the kind of mentality those education deformers and pundits have. Not surprisingly, many of those are representatives of white, privileged, high-educated pundits– not necessarily experienced educator at all.
I’m not talking about eduction in the US alone. Education reform is incepting many non-western countries. What we are seeing now as common view is government bureaucrats
funneling money to retired ministry officials, business/economic lobbyists, and private education consulting companies. They are doing this in the name of globalization to the detriment of demoralizing teachers, schools, and students.
Even in some country like Japan, where public education is staying strong despite a trenchant criticism, privatization wave is pressuring parents and students, driving them to excessive stress for overstudying.
Ask English teachers and schools in Japan. Has English education reform [driven by privatization scheme] significantly improved overall language fluency of students and teachers across the nation? Has it led to the decrease of school bullying and violence? Many of them would say no.