Bridge International Academies (Bridge) has opened a further 14 schools in Lagos Nigeria, increasing its network of high quality education to over 7400 pupils and 37 under-served communities across the state.

The fourteen new schools opened at the start of term and are in some of the poorest and most underserved areas of Lagos, including the slum areas of Alimosho and Ojo. The expansion means Bridge now employs 271 teachers, creating a total of around 450 jobs in Nigeria.

Bridge’s use of innovative technology and content means it is seen as a natural partner for those who aim to harness technology to deliver learning gains for children. As such, Bridge has been selected as partner to the Lagos state government for a new education technology initiative, called CodeLagos. The programme aims to equip one million young people with coding skills and transform the state into a major technology hub over the next decade. Twenty three Bridge academies and 3,000 pupils will take part in the initiative. The selected Bridge schools will serve as training centers for the programme.

The expansion and partnership were announced at a joint conference with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.

The local state government hopes that the learning gains achieved by Bridge pupils in Kenya, through the use of trained teachers and innovative technology, will be replicated in Nigeria.

Bridge CEO, Jay Kimmelman, said “I am very excited to work with the Lagos government on building capacity and capability in education and technology. In the 21st century, technology has become an enabler of better schooling and development across the globe. It’s fantastic to see Nigeria at the forefront of that movement. Technology underpins the education provided by Bridge and there is no doubt that technology will play a pivotal role in empowering Nigerians over the next decade.’’

Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said, “His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has set a target to push Lagos State from the fifth largest to the third largest economy in Africa, and we will need a new generation of technology literate graduates to drive that forward. The appetite for investment in technology must continue to increase as this has become the most viable way to feed the growth of many social and economic indices. As we seek to educate our burgeoning population for the future, we are pleased to be partnering strategically with Bridge.”

Mrs Huntonji Oluwatoyin, a Bridge parent said, “The way Bridge use technology in teaching and the classroom management are so engaging and results oriented. From now on, I will also use some of this methods to train and bring up my children.”

Ms Elizabeth Amudipe, a Bridge teacher said, “Bridge is unique in the way they train the teachers. It makes it different from other schools, no room for laziness and the lessons are well structured and interesting to the pupils.”

Recently, a report backed by USAID and DFID called for more education partnerships between governments and the private sector, so that the strengths of each could combine to benefit young people. Bridge is proud to be taking a lead on putting this model into action.

Earlier this year The London Stock Exchange released a report naming Bridge as a company to inspire Africa, which also revealed that 58 of the fastest growing organizations in Africa were Nigerian.

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Notes to Editors:

Attached Image – a Bridge classroom in Nigeria.

The joint conference was at the quarterly Open House held by Bridge on 30th May, which was entitled: “Leapfrogging Social Impact Through Technology”.

Bridge first opened in Nigeria in 2015 and now runs 37 schools across Lagos state. Out of the 37 communities served, 17 are in rural areas of Lagos while 20 are in urban slums.

The additional 14 schools in Lagos State opened at the start of term on the 18th April.

Bridge schools are located across local government authority areas: OJo, Badagry, Ikorodu, Alimosho, Ibeju – Lekki, Agege, Iju Ishaga.

UNESCO figures estimate 263 million out of school children in world, around 10 million of them in Nigeria and 4.7 million of those are primary school children.

Every Bridge academy is a nursery and a primary school.

In Kenya, Bridge pupils scored 59% on average in the 2016 national KCPE exams, compared to a national average of 44%. In 2015, Bridge pupils scored 60% compared to a national average of 44%.

About Bridge

Bridge believes every child has the right to high quality education and works in partnership with governments, communities, parents and teachers to deliver education to over 100,000 children in underserved communities across Africa and Asia.

Bridge leverages in-depth teacher training and support, advanced lesson plans and wireless technology to provide pupils with a meaningful and life-changing education.

Globally, there is an education crisis. Around 263 million children and young people are not in school and the number of primary school aged children not in school is increasing. Bridge is committed to helping tackle this through a data driven, evidence based approach that delivers strong schools and a great education for all.