Conservation education: the life cycle of a Classroom Africa school
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African Wildlife Foundation launched its Classroom Africa program in 2013 to provide rural communities access to a quality primary school education — and a strong incentive to engage in conservation. In return for a significant conservation commitment by a community, Classroom Africa rebuilds or upgrades a primary school, ensures ongoing teacher training, provides conservation education and, where feasible, offers students access to technology.The process starts long before construction. In fact, getting to the groundbreaking can take months of behind-the-scenes effort. Developing a Classroom Africa school in any landscape is a fairly organic process, rather than following a strict checklist of steps. We take you through the basic phases involved in getting to a completed school building — and the engagement that follows after construction is complete — using our Ilima Conservation Primary School as an example.
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1. Choose the landscape
Timeframe: 6–12 months
To choose a site, AWF starts where we already have a conservation team on the ground and a strong relationship with local communities. If Classroom Africa support will reinforce our conservation impact in the landscape, AWF consults local authorities and community members to determine which school in the area needs to be rebuilt and improved.
2. Identify the school
Timeframe: 3–6 months
Classroom Africa never establishes a brand-new school. Instead, the program provides support to existing schools that are part of the country’s educational system. The choice of schools is driven by AWF’s conservation strategy for that landscape. Chiefly, we assess ecosystem threats and whether the schools have meaningful needs that Classroom Africa can address. We also determine whether engaging the school will lead to improved community participation in conservation.
In a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo within the Congo Basin forest, the Ilima community was one of the first in the landscape to adopt and implement a formal land-use plan for biodiversity protection. AWF built the Ilima Conservation Primary School to reinforce the positive results that come from engaging in conservation while also opening up opportunities for future generations through education.
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3. Fundraise
Timeframe: 1 month–1 year
AWF begins the process of identifying and securing donor commitment to rebuild or refurbish the chosen school.
4. Secure an agreement
Timeframe: 3–4 months
The Classroom Africa team begins working with AWF’s landscape staff to engage the relevant schools and their communities and discuss how we can help improve the educational prospects for their youngest generations. We introduce the Classroom Africa program and outline what AWF will provide. In return, community leaders agree to specific conservation actions that AWF calls “conservation covenants.”
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5. School design
Timeframe: 4–8 months
Classroom Africa staff begins analyzing the specific infrastructure improvements needed. We ask teachers, students, parents, community leaders, and local education authorities about infrastructure needs and challenges. The Classroom Africa team contracts a local architect, who designs a new or refurbished building and campus, depending on community needs and bearing local climates in mind. We engage with local stakeholders and education authorities throughout the process.
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6. School construction
Timeframe: 12–18 months
Once funding commitments are in place, designs are finalized and approved by local communities and the Classroom Africa board. Then, a contractor is selected and construction begins! We hire local builders as much as possible. The suspended roof at our school in Ilima is built by community members trained in cutting shingles from local hardwood and installing the roof for easy maintenance.
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7. Ongoing support
Timeframe: Indefinitely
To build a school and walk away limits the conservation impact of our schools. The real sticking power of conservation — the change in attitudes and increase in knowledge — comes with the other elements, such as teacher training and conservation education. Those elements must start fairly quickly after the build is completed to keep up the momentum and show the community we intend to stick around.
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8. Monitoring and maintenance
Timeframe: Indefinitely
At the end of every term, the Classroom Africa team checks in with each school to gauge student academic performance. Baseline and follow-up surveys help measure students’ conservation knowledge. Historical data shows that Classroom Africa support is not only increasing students’ appreciation of the area’s wildlife and wild lands but also boosting academic performance.