The plenary of the House of Representatives has cited the Minister of Education and the management of Bridge Liberia to appear before that honorable body next Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
Plenary took the decision Tuesday, October 25, 2022 during its 2nd day sitting of the third quarter following a communication from Montserrado County’s electoral district #9 Representative, Frank Saah Foko Jr., in which he stated that Bridge International Academies, an educational, for-profit company, continues to defraud the Liberian Government through thousands, if not millions, of United States dollars through duty free and other privileges.
“What is even more regrettable, Hon. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, is that a recent interview by a principal of a Bridge-sponsored school, Wilis Town Public School in Montserrado, decries the situation at her school: leaking roof, limited supplies and inadequate teaching materials, etc.,” Representative Foko asserted.
According the Montserrado lawmaker, if this is happening right within Montserrado County, Bridge operation with schools in Maryland, Grand Kru, Grand Gedeh, Lofa and other far-to-reach places worries him.
Representative Foko said through his communication that in fact it took President George Weah to renovate a Bridge school, the Kendeja Public School, in the RLJ area before it could become conducive for students.
He wondered how a company that gets paid at school by international partners and is seeking budgetary support from lawmakers will leave the schools where they operate in ruins.
“How can they account for all the monies they get in Liberia’s name when we barely see what they do on the ground? Bridge has no asset, bank account of any sort that can, at least, guarantee their stability and accountability in Liberia,” Representative Foko continued.
The Montserrado County lawmaker mentioned that one of the company’s annual reports in his possession saw them raise around US$6 million from donors and from being in partnership with Liberia, but Liberians can barely see where these monies go as monies collected are not in Liberian banks but outside.
Representative Foko further stated that in the last three years alone Bridge Liberia has moved to three new offices like squatters, and working conditions are very unfavorable.
“There is barely a vehicle they own to their name, least you say a bike for their rural workers. This is a scam Hon. Speaker and colleagues,” the lawmaker’s communication read.
At the same time, Representative Foko has accused the company as having one of the worst labor practices on record. “In 2020, the company laid off seventeen staffs on the ground of “forced merger”, but as per the law such layoffs, when effected, upon recruiting for the same position the laid-off staffs should be given first preference. This law, as many others, was disregarded by Bridge, and according to a reliable source this matter is still on docket at the Labor Ministry. Recently, less than a month ago Bridge continued their usual pattern and laid off over fifteen Liberians again, but these staffs were never warned or suspended but dismissed arbitrarily with matters languishing at the Labor Ministry at the moment,” Representative Foko disclosed.
Representative Foko also told his colleagues that Bridge has changed its name globally from Bridge International to New Globe without having the change effected in Liberian books which in his mind, has got criminal intent. He said, “They have been receiving duty-free privileges at the Freeport of Monrovia for years, claiming to be a non-profit organization, which is grossly misleading.”
Following the reading of the lawmaker’s communication, a motion was proffered by Grand Bassa County’s electoral district #5 Representative, Thomas Goshua, and endorsed by plenary that Bridge appears in full plenary on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, to address itself to the issues raised by the Montserrado County lawmaker.