School buildings in developing countries
Practical Action
also be interested to contribute towards the cost of additional facilities if these were to be
provided. For practical and cost reasons it might not always be possible to build and equip a
school in exactly the way local people would like, in which case a compromise would need to
be reached, but at least it is important to discuss the school building options with local
people. One decision to consider is whether the school will only be used for the education of
children or whether there would also be facilities for the community to meet and, possibly,
also a resource centre for facilitating local development needs. Local people can also offer
more practical help such as undertaking of some of the building work. However, if they agree
to do this, such help should not be taken for granted and some form of modest payment or
the offer of some additional facilities for the school might need to be provided. When the
school building is completed the occasion can be marked by some sort of cultural event to
which all local people are invited. If the school is then handed over to the local community
some arrangements would need to have been made for upkeep and maintenance. Even if the
school building is the responsibility of an NGO, local authority or government education
department, the local community can still make some contribution towards the running and
upkeep of the school.
Lighting - Many rural schools rely on natural lighting for illumination in the classrooms as the
schools are either not connected to electricity supplies, or the use of electricity for lighting is
expensive and this would significantly add to the cost of running the schools. Glass is
sometimes used in the windows, but this adds a considerable expense and if the hot sun
shines directly through the glass, this can make the classrooms very hot. With windows that
can be swung open to let in ventilation, this can present an accident risk to young children,
and safer options for windows that can be opened fully are more expensive. A cheaper option
is to use no glass but to have wooden or metal shutters that are closed when the school is
empty or when it is raining heavily. If the shutters are closed due to rain then it would be too
dark to read or write in the class, so either artificial lighting would need to be provided, or the
school closed for the day when a storm is due. In India and some other countries brick jallis
have been used to create opening to let in light and ventilation in the wall. Because the
openings between the bricks are relatively small in size they would be effective for excluding
water from rain except when it is very heavy and driven onto the wall by a strong wind.
Recommended minimum illumination levels in schools are 130 lux in general classrooms and
offices, 200 lux in laboratories and 300 lux in areas used
for drawing, crafts and sewing. While it would rarely be
possible to have access to a light meter to check on these
light levels it can be assumed that in a normal sized
classroom it would need at least two, and preferably
three, window openings of at least 1500 x 1200 mm, or
openings of other sizes with equivalent area, to achieve
Figure 1: View of part of
the 130 lux level in tropical areas for sunny or lightly
brick jali, with the black
overcast conditions. It is better, for more even
shading representing the
illumination, for the classroom to have two or more
openings
external walls each with a window, rather than having all
the windows in one of the walls. Long narrow rooms with
openings at only one end, which in any case are less practicable as functioning classrooms,
would need a greater area of openings than suggested above as light levels would fall off
noticeably at the far end of the room. Jalis, such as that shown above would need about 1½
more area of openings in total than for conventional windows as a part of the opening in a jali
is effectively cut off from admitting light. It is preferable to arrange the classroom to avoid
the teacher or pupils having to face the sun directly, or reflection and glare from some
surfaces such as boards.
Services and Infrastructure - When funds for school building are very limited there can be an
inclination not to provide dedicated water supply and sanitation services, but such provision
is very important and could only be omitted in exceptional circumstances, e.g. if it intended
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