TEACHERS picketing a top education conference yesterday demanded that the government cut ties with an “edu-business” pushing privatisation in the developing world.

Profit-hungry education company Bridge International Academies is the “gold sponsor” of the Education World Forum(EWF), a gathering of global education ministers taking place in London this week.

The company has set up schools in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and India. Last year the Ugandan government ordered the closure of all 63 of Bridge’s schools, on the grounds they had failed to meet national standards.

Education Secretary Justine Greening sanctioned a hefty government investment in Bridge when she headed the Department for International Development (DfID) from 2012 until July last year. She also praised the firm in a speech for “providing low-cost, quality education for $5 [£4] per month.”

Outside the Park Plaza hotel in Lambeth, south London, teaching unions and NGOs said they were “outraged” that the British government was prepared to co-operate with the firm.

Education International project director Angelo Gavrielatos, whose organisation brings together teachers’ unions throughout the world, accused Bridge of “rapacious behaviour aimed at mining education throughout the world.”

He added: “Failing to employ qualified teachers and observe standards in relation to national curricula and school buildings, Bridge International Academies demonstrates wilful neglect and disregard for national educational and legal requirements.

“One would have thought that respect for national legislative frameworks by all education providers would have been a precondition by the EWF with respect to sponsorship of the event.”

National Union of Teachers (NUT) general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “Bridge is listed as ‘gold partner’ of this year’s Education World Forum. However, their performance around the globe is anything but gold standard.”

NUT international relations officer Sanidha Garg accused the company of “undermining the right to education of the girl child” through its role in the expansion of paid-for schooling in the developing world.

Bridge’s other funders include the World Bank and billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. The demo was also backed by the University and College Union and ActionAid, whose programme development chief David Archer said: “If [Bridge] get away with building what they want to, there will be a whole chain of operators waiting to do the same thing.”

Bridge did not respond to the Star’s request for comment.

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