Response to Min. Werner's letter to International Academic Community on the Independent Qualitative Research of Partnership Schools for Liberia

pcassidy 14.00

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} pcassidy 14.00

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} The need for a drastic reform has been a rallying call from advocates including ActionAid for the last decade. Consecutive failures of high school graduates for national University entrance exams and the continuous derelict state of the education system across the country repeatedly reinforced the need for Liberia to undertake a systematic reform. However, initial backlash to the partnership with BIA led to the expansion of the partnership to seven additional providers for the now Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL). Therefore, in February 2016, the Ministry of Education (MoE) signed a memorandum of understanding with Bridge International Academies (BIA), a for-profit education chain, to operate public schools in a Public Private Partnerships - as an effort to address Liberia’s declining education system.