JPM Parry & Associates - Success in Malawi

Success stories: Ministry of Education/DfID School Construction, Malawi

case study

For several months from January 2005, 1,500 new school classrooms were completed at a rate of 30 per week. Supported by DfID (the UK Department for International Development), the Malawi Ministry of Education has constructed the child-friendly, environmentally sound school buildings using Parry roofing technology.

Cooler and quieter

Semisheet roofing has created a learning environment that is far superior to previous classrooms. There are no leaks, as were common with thatched roofs. Unlike metal sheeting, the concrete tiles ensure that the room beneath stays cool in hot sun and is not noisy in heavy rain. As a result, teaching time is not interrupted by the weather and the classrooms remain comfortable throughout the year.

Made in Malawi

Parry technology has had important effects far beyond the classrooms. The production of tens of thousands of roof tiles has created a local building materials industry whose products are now reaching outside the national schools programme. Private individuals and businesses have realised that Parry tiles are better than the alternatives and have created a new market for them.

Some of the projects have taken advantage of the fact that Parry machines are fully portable so tiles can be produced on site - eliminating the risk of breakage during transit to remote areas of Malawi.

Community benefits

Not only do the local communities benefit from new schools for their children, but also through the construction processes.

School committees received training in how to improve the schools and monitor their construction, involving community leaders and parents from the start.

The use of local labour to produce the roof tiles has created work and skills in the communities too, as well as benefiting the national construction industry.

Malawi Case History (large document over 1MB)

Links to DfID reports about Malawi school construction

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