National Kindergarten School Design Review

To date, Sabre has built 18 child-centred kindergarten schools in Ghana. In parallel to our work, the government’s Fund & Procurement Management Unit (FPMU) implements school building projects, and maintains a repository of blue-prints for different school levels in the Ghana Education Sector.

As Sabre and the FPMU continue to design and build school structures, best practice and the consistency of school design is critical to ensure children across Ghana have equal access to fit for purpose schools. Together, Sabre and the FPMU aim to pool their knowledge and expertise to agree an optimal school design model.

In 2019, Sabre Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the FPMU to co-create a new cost-effective, child-friendly kindergarten school design with the ultimate aim of national roll-out.

Upgrading school infrastructure, especially for the kindergarten level, is closely linked with the objectives of the 2012 National KG Operational Plan, as well as goal 4.a of the Sustainable Development Goals; “Build, and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability, and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all”.

The key objectives of this partnership are:

1. Ascertain the performance of kindergartens constructed in the last four years (for both Sabre & FPMU projects)
2. Develop a ‘Lessons Learnt’ document to inform an upgrade of existing design(s)
3. Develop a new kindergarten design blueprint that has the following characteristics
   1. Responds positively to teaching and learning needs at the kindergarten level
   2. Responds positively to the environment
   3. Is cost effective
   4. Includes sustainable systems
   5. Results in low maintenance cost (post-construction)
4. Build a prototype kindergarten based on the new design