KUWAIT THE DESIGN OF SCHOOLS, AND RELATED PROBLEMS December 1966 - January 1967 by D.G. Barron, A.R.I.BsA., A.M.T.P.T,INTRODUCTION The Mission began on the 29th of November 1966 with a briefing in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. Nearly four weeks were spent in Kuwait, Meetings were held with Members of the Government, Administrators, Educationalists, headmasters of schools, teachers, and so on, A number of schools of all categories were visited, including some in course of construction. Plans of schools and other useful information were made available by the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Education, The report summarizes the present position relating to the design of schools; and makes recommendations aimed both at iner: ing the quality, and at reducing the costs, of school building in Kuwait.THE PRESENT POSITION 1 UCATIONAL BACKGROUND 1. For many yi rs now, education has been a priority field in Kuwait. The State offers ite children free education, and this includes free food, books, stationery and transport. 2, The educational ladder consists of four yi ra of Primary, four years of Intermediate, and four years of Secondary education. Some experts consider the existing distinction between primary and intermediate schools to be somewhat artificial, In addition, there appears to be a strong demand by Kuwaiti parents for Kindergarten schools, although attendance is not compulsory (age range 3+ - 5). 3. With the exception of the Kindergartens, all schools are segregated according to sex. After the first two years in a primary school, there is an increasing tendency towards the depart ntalisation of teaching. In intermediate and secondary schools, teaching is completely subject-orientated. 4. The academic year runs from early in September to early in June, and is split into two long terms with about a fort- night's holiday break in the middle of January. There is a six day working week, Friday being the rest day. The school day normally begins at 07.30 and ends at about 14.00 oclock., A simple meal is served in the middle of the morning.5. A detailed description (with critical comments) of a typical Kuwait secondary school for boys, is given in the appendix. In very broad terms however, the kind of accommodation provided in Kuwaiti schools ia as followa:- Kindergarten («) Classrooms, number according to total of children allowing usually between 35 - 40 per class. (>) A large Assembly Hall (with or without stage). This is usually used for dining as well, but some schools have separate dining accommodation. (c) Sleeping Accommodation The more recent schools are provided with dormitori: for rest periods to accommodate all the children at the same time. Not unnaturally, thi spaces tend to be very large and unsympathetic in character, (a) Additional Faciliti: Some schools are provided with additional rooms for music and rhythm, and/or a library. (e) These are quite extensive. COMMENT Most of the kindergarten schools are totally out of scale for very young children, and fail to provide the kind of + The ~ pleasant "homely" atmosphere one would like to large assembly halls are quite inappropriate and most wai ful in that they are unused most of the time. The same istrue of the dormitori Where separate covered play are are provided, they sometimes consist of heavy and masstve concrete structur. that are both ugly and extravagant, There is a tendency for these schools to be either under- equipped or badly equipped (4. lack of pin-up surface. shelving, storage, acoustical treatment’ etc.) 7. Primary and Intermediate The accommodation provided tends to be rather similar for both types of school; but with extended specialist facilities in the intermediate schools (a) Cla F001 Number according to children, allowing . usually bet#een 95 - 40 per cla: ‘ (b) A large assembly hall, also used for dining. Stage. (c) A large separate gymnastic hall. (a) Several specialist rooms, In some recent intermediate schools, the specialist rooms have included a large general lecture hall, a large library, a music room, small science labs, art room geography lecture hall, a large general purpose room, exhibition hall etc. (e) Staff and Administration The usual generai facilitie. including staff library etc. COMMENT In terms of floor area provided, some of the most extravagant schools examined have been of the intermediate category. This may be due, in part, to the "half-way house" nature of theseschools, in that they are more than primary and yet not fully secondary; with a consequent unresolved apportionment of the time-table between classroom teaching and practical work. For example, an analysis of the plans of Rumaitheih Intermediate School for Boys (1966-1967 programme), reveals two remarkable facts, Firstly, that nearly 60% of the total roofed-over floor area is circulation or other open space (including verandas, play areas etc.); and secondly, that there is a considerable amount of excess teaching accommodation. It is probable that this particular school could have been planned with half the floor area actually being provided, and still satisfy the real educational requirements of the school. 8. Secondary There are at present 5 boys' and 2 girls' secondary schools. The great variations that exist in the size and character of these schools preclude any useful summary of secondary accommodation being made. A full di cription of a medium sized Boys Secondary School is given in the appendix. THE PRESENT POSITION : SCHOOL BUILDING 9. For well over a decade, the Government of Kuwait has pursued a vigorous school building programme. Money has been generously spent to ensure that the buildinge available kept up with the demand for education. There are now 36 Kinder- garten schools in the State; 78 Primary schools; 40 Intermediateschools; and 7 Secondary schools, 10. Responsibility for the school building programme is, in the main, shared between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Planning Board. ‘The Planning Board has responsibilities for the formation of general economic and social policies, and the ablishment of development programmes, The briefs and schedules of accommodation for individual schools are prepared by the Ministry of Education, The design and building of the schools is the r ponsibility of the Ministry of Public Works where there is a staff of architects and engineers 11. A new five year plan for education and school building has recently been approved, which envisages the building of over 100 schools during the period. 12, The achievements to date of the Government of Kuwait in building schools and providing education for the community commands one's admiration. So very much has been done so very quickly. Any criticiem of existing schools, of design and building standards, of administrative procedures, and so on, are made with these achievements very much in mind. 13. By and large, the existing schools in Kuwait provide a workable physical environment for teaching. ‘The space provided is generous in most ca: the facilities and equipment reveal a desire to provide well for the needs ofthe pupils. The people are proud of their schools, and the children happy to be in th Yet almost without exception, the exiating schools of Kuwait are not really satisfactory, Their failures can be enumerated both in educational and architectural terms; in points of detail as well as in overall plannins; aesthetically as well as economically. 14, Although the schools built over the last fifteen years vary a great deal in size, in plan forms, in construction and in appearance, certain significant generalizations can be made which apply almost to all of thi (a) The total of educational space provided does not represent the true educational needs of the schools. More especially in recent jntermediate and secondary schools, there is a gross over-provision of teaching accommodation. There are rooms provided for activities which have, in fact, no place in the life of the school; many of the specialist rooms are very much under-used, or are too large for their purpose. (b) In all cases, the overall total floor area is greatly in excess of what is really needed. In some schools, as much as 100% in excess of what is required to meet the particular educational programme of that school. A major contribution to this extravagance lies in the plan shapes and design concepts that provide for extensive and unnecessary corridors, unnecessary andble verandas etc. frequently un-us (c) Almost invariably, the plan shapes and the detail designs of the buildings tend to be unsuitable for the climatic conditions of Kuwait. (This aspect is dealt with at some length in the report presented to the Government of Kuwait by Professor Alfred Roth in 1966) (ad) The individual spaces that go to make up the school are frequently badly designed'and equipped in terms of the activities that will take place in them, The lack of appreciation and understanding by the designers of the true needs of particular school rooms is very evident to any trained observer on a visit to a typical Kuwaiti school. Similarly, tho relationships between the various parts of the echool are frequently unsatis- factory, as they do not reflect positive educational concepts (e) Most schools in Kuwait are badly lacking in what might be described as "the human touch". As a physical environment where the child spends so much of his day, one finds a sad lack of beauty, of warmth, of human scale. 15. The defects thus listed can be largely attributed to pressures of time and the limitations of professional resources that have existed in Kuwait in recent years, In the field of school design, no-one has had the time to establish eithera tanbarde ef sees or of on. ARM ATL iE E ESL AAS SOARES Amt there ere pitt ae guide- 1A, Fe teveu of secctpmetivwnt @elnede and materiale, the FeTI REA TH SODeet THbldbag Rae Room seeeatiably trutitionnl, Seti n, tae ebows bares are af Felaferced conurete framen vith Ae lee oo seadered Sinshomre Latiih, In ravest poere the Mlateney of Peele Caene Bae Latramered & elamdardiacd framed Orem tues OALGm Gas Hone eetemettely weed tn A variety of web ibing, tet oepecteiin Foy sedeate, et obamiCLaend Labaetebatbeod butiding Heekaiquee (pre- Tone lietion age eimeet ahaacen 1s Reveht. Certetaly, they Meee eek Heme ayyilod ts ae osmeel Deriading programme. Also Uno met eee Le fhe feet Wek the eohenle are met atr~ vee th hemme, Thee awh jeste are Geeks wtih at ereater length dates ta tate Feneed water the heeding “Medemmentatinn e146 Shel inere pee Been but to mee wRneeet feree Fs tae be TANThO OOtse Veni e Of metnem tehidiag echenbeogy Ve meet the Pehle ewes ot heweny. oc EAA SERED 1! The Reeeteeens af fewest tae epent o greet deal ef sener La peers peat om Ohe We lidteg oP eshenior amd It grepeene te ceed o gesed Bend Gwre ba ihe Tatere. se already otated, tt peames Me 2eLd Abed Lhe ODdeRLE Sieweds elit are gree be whee Nh med Seren, ae pertioniacin owptasia te the elimatle EAN oe af Cyeed ds 44 thee bm terme af seen Maer represent eek wale Cot weasuppose that this unsatisfactory situation will not continue. 18, It 4s probably true to say that the basic reason why schools in Kuwait are not as good as they should be, is that nobody has ever had enough time to consider and work out the problems of school design in any detail. Architects and educationalists need time to convert educational concepts with effective school buildings, but in Kuwait the paramount problem has been to build quickly. The need pow is for a thorough study of pre-university educational requirements in Kuwait in terms of space standards, the inter-relationship of teaching facilities, of equipment and furnishing, of costs etc. 19. The first recommendation therefore, and Development Team should be set up to undertake these studies and thus pave the way for the design and building of better schools in Kuwait. 20. ‘The team could be constituted as follows. Dr Singh, resident UNESCO educationalist in Kuwait; one architect, being a UNESCO expert on school design; and one or two officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Works as might be thought appropriate, The team would meet at intervals, as required, tc undertake an agreed programme of investigation.21. The objective would be to establish within a period of six or nine months essential standards and guide lines for the future design of schools. On completion of these primary taske it might well be thought advisable to retain some kind of permanent R rch and Development group within the structure of one of the two Ministries concerned with schools. More immediately however, it is proposed that the work of this team should be devoted to three main issu’ + a8 follows:- 22, STUDY OF SCHOOL BRIEFS AND SCHEDULES OF ACCOMMODATION The educational quality and the economic viability of any school must et in the firat place, from the stated demands of the education authority, the client. Architects plan schools according to their brief, and to design good schools they need good briefs. The convertion of educational concepts into effective briefs, (schedules of accommodation), requires examination in depth of many inter-related problems, It ie unfortunately only too evident that in Kuwait no effective study has ever been undertaken to tablish the real space requirements of school: The architects' briefs are unsatisfactory, consequently the schools are unsatisfactory. The preparation of good briefs, that will lead to the design of schools that are effective in education terms and which make economic sense at the same time, is dependent on a careful study of educational concepts, curricula, time-tablos, school organization, and so on.- 12 Proposal That the Research and Development Team shall examine the existing procedures and attitudes that lead to the preparation of school briefs, That they shall advise and assist in the preparation of the briefs for schools in the impending schools building programme, with a view to establishing new 4. den standards and encouraging the design of better and cheaper schools. ‘These new briefs must truly reflect the special needs of Kuwait, and consequently there will be a need for detailed study undertaken in clo: jocdation with Government personnel, more especially the school Inspectors and headmasters. 23. STUDY OF PARTICULAR SCHQOL FUNCTIONS The survey of existing schools in Kuwait undertaken by this mission suggests that there is much scope for improvement in the planning and equipping of nearly all the various rooms that make up a complete school. In one of the schools examined, the kitchen provided was at least three times larger than required; the library wi twice as large as necessary; the laboratories were too small; storage facilities were inadequ:ta; room shap: were frequently unsatisfactory. But how big should a kitchen be in a particular school? What size and shape should a library be? What is the right equipment for a Biology laboratory? To design a good school a great number of such questions have to be answered. To get the right ansve: it ds nece: ary in the first place to study insome depth the function of these rooms for all types and sizes of school, No serious research of this kind has yet been undertaken in Kuwait. Proposal That the Re arch and Development Team carry out studie. of specific school design problems, This work would be under- taken in close collaboration with inter, ed personnel in Kuwait. The end objective would be to establish a body of basic data (area standards, preferred shapes, equipment, relationship to other rooms etc.) that would be available for the architects in the Ministry of Public Works, and which would cover all aspects of school design. 24, STUDY OF SPECIAL PROBLEMS The following list of subjects that need investigation is by no means comprehensive; rather it is intended as a guide as to what a permanent Research and Development Team might be engaged on over an extended period of time, (a) Adv Conditioning. Is there an economic case for introducing air conditioning into schools in Kuwait? Could the cost of the installation be offset by economies in room heights, compact planning etc.? (>) B bri fon. Are there economic and practical advantages in introducing industrialized building techniques to help implement the 5 year school building programme? (c) Building Cost: cost standards for all categories of schools, as is Is there not a cai for determiningthe practice in some other countries? The establi. ment of such cost standards (per pupil and per square meter) would surely greatly assist the Government in forward budgeting? arch and recommend- (a) Technical aspects of Design. R ations in a variety of subjects, for exampl a) sun control in schools, b) the insulation of buildings against hi t, ¢) acoustic needs, d) anthropometric standards, ¢) design of furniture and equipment f) fire regulations for schools etc. 25, The other main recommendation is that 4 model schools one for each category of school (Kindergarten, Primary, Inter- mediate and Secondary) should be designed and built in Kuwait without delay. The programme for 1967 envisages the design of about 25 new schools. To treat 4 of the: as special prototypes should not disrupt this programme. This recommendation is made because there is an obvious need for an early improvement in the quality of Kuwait schools. To achieve this, it is nece: ary, a) To apply, as quickly as is possible, the lessons learnt as a result of this UNESCO mission, and, b) To introduce quickly as is possible, new concepts of school planning; with special emphasis on increased education and architectural quality, and reduced building costs.Becai of the limitations of time and qualified technical personnel in Kuwait at the present time, these 4 model schools could with advantage be undertaken by an independent consultant. But to achieve the desired results it should be considered as essential that the consultant retain a close and continuous professional relationship with the Ministry of Education and Public Works, UNESCO, and all tho: in Kuwait who are directly concerned with educational policy.Ae2e Ade Aad Ae Kuwarr. DESIGN OF Si \-_ APPENDIX ia Secondary School for Boys, Kuws A brief Investigation school was completed in 1967 as a 24 Form boys Secondary School. The schedule of accommodation is standard to Kuwaiti schools of this size. In the present academic year (1966-67), three extra Forms were ‘taken in because of the general shortage of school places relative to demand, There are now, therefore, 27 Forus in the school. Growth in number of pupils (approx. ) 1963-64 550 1964-65 680 1965-66 770 1966-67 820 200 new boys started school at the beginning of this academic year. Further growth in total numbers is not expected. 4s with all Kuwait Secondary echools, the court The planned annual intake was 6 Forms per year. is a 4-year one, Staff. Headmaster, Mr. Hanan Zagloud (Egyptian) Deputy Headmaster (Kuwaiti) 65 Teachers (exc. lab. assistants) of various nationalities. ‘The staff are dived between 8 Departments. Arabic and Religion; Mathomatica; English; Science (Physics and Chemistry); Biology; Literature; Art; Physical Education (Sport). The Department naturally vary in size. In each case thore is a head of Department. Forms (classes) vary in size, tending to decrease slightly after the 2nd year. Average number of boys in lst year classes is 35. Average in 4th (final) year is 28, Hours of work, time table eto. Bel. Beas Bude Bede Bade Bub. There are the usual 6 working days, Friday being the rest day. Hours of work vary slightly, but mostly they run from 07.30 to 14.00 hrs. ‘The teaching year is spread over 9 months, from September to Nay inolusive. ‘There is a fortnight's holiday in mid-January, thus splitting the academic year into two long terms of about 4 1/2 uonths each. ‘The number of periods per week ia 38, ao of 45 minutes. 4 days have 6 periods each, 2 days have 7 perio ‘The amount of teaching done by individual staff var: Average is around 18 periods, though some do 20 or 21 periods. Heda of Departments usually average 6 periods. The headmaster does very Little regular teaching. The day starts with general assembly, out of doors, vhen the flag is neluted and the headasster adr the boys. (Climatic conditions permit this right through the academic year; rain is very rare). There is a lunch break of about 20 minutes at 11 O'clock. (This te discussed in detail later in this report).G. D. -2- B.7. During the fast of Ramadan (wbich lasts a month and fluctuates with the cycles of the moon), school hours are curtailed, and start at 09 hra. The tendency is not to alter the timetable but to reduce the length of periods to 25 minutes. General Facts about Education C.1, The age range is nominally from 13-14 years onwards. But in fact the age range in the lst year classes is often spread from 13 to 18 or even older. This is evident in some of the classes at the Al Dyia School, although I was told that "streaming" by age was practiced to some extent. .2, There is no "streaming" of classes according to ability. This plus the wide age range has significant educational repercussions which ar ussed later in this report. C.3. Bach of the 24 classes constitutes a "Form Base" where each boy has his desk with storase facilities, This year at Al Dyia, because of the extra intake, 3 so-called "committee rooms" are being used as Form Bases too. 0.4. At Al Dyia about 70% of the boys are of Kuwaiti nationality. The remainder are mostly from other Arab countrie: @.5. There are in fact few extra-curricula activities, although I believe ‘these are encouraged by the Ministry of Education. The school ie rarely if ever used by the community at large, although this too ia felt by many to be desirable. A Brief Descriptic the boo tion D1, ‘The school is basically U shaped, with three extended areas each roughly equal in length, adh block consists of a corridor with rooms of one side only, and is three storeys high. D.2. Essentially the teaching accommodation originally provided was as follows: 24 General Purpose Classrooms. Mostly 9ux7m = 63 m2 say 30' x 23' = 690 ag.ft. 6 Science Laboratories 10.4ux7.5m = 76m2 say 34°6" x 25' = 860 ag.ft. 2 Science Lecture Theatres 10. 4ux7.5m = 7802 (stepped) 34'6" x 25' = B60 og.ft. 2 Art Rooms 15mx100 = 150; say 50' x 33' = 1650 ag. ft. 1 Library (inc, Store) 17wel1. 5m = 195.502 say 57' x 38’ = 2260 aq. ft. 1 Assembly Hall + Stage 40mx22n = 88002 (used for dining) 133' x 73! 9600 eq.ft.Also balcony and fulleuite of dressing rooms, in addition 1 Main Sporte Hall 30mx20m = 600m2 way 100' x 66' = 6600 sq.ft. 2 Secondary Sports Rooms mxTia = 63m2 say 30' x 23" m 690 ag. ft. Also extensive audience facilities, etc. 1 Lecture Hall (stepped), 1€mx10m = 160m2 say 60' x 33" @ 1980 ag. ft. . 1 Saal Musie Room gax6.5m = 52m2 sey 27" x21! = 570 ag.ft. 2 Craftwork Rooms l4qmx7o = 98m2 sey 47" x 23' = 1080 og.ft. D.2. The planned number of effective teaching spaces (capable of taking at least 1 full class) was therefore 43. There were however at least 5 major rooms provided in addition for which there appears to be hormal need. Yor example, 4 rooms labelled Committee Room, each 63m2 (860 aq.ft.) and a large Science Museum Room, 126m2 (1360 aq.ft.). (None of these are in fact now being used in this way). D.3. The following recent changes in room usage need to be noted. 4. 3 of the Committee Rooms are now used as General Purpose Classrooms, providing tka required 27 Forms Bases for the whole school. . The Science Museum has become the Central School textbook store (area greatly in excess of need). + One of the Craftwork Rooms has become the (area greatly in excess of need). choo] Tuck Shop. D.4. In addition, the school contains a large permanent Exhibition Hall, 220m2 (1320 sq.ft.)s and some of the larger ciroulation areas are used for specific activities. On one large landing there is place of worship (made and decorated by the boys), and on another, large 3edimensional maps are being constructed. Category of space Totel M2 Area sq.ft. Percentage of Total 1. Teaching: Includes all the 44 teaching spaces itemised under Dl toCategory of space Total M2 Ares sq.ft. Percentage of Totel D5 of the note 4820 535020 Approx. 42.9% Not included: stores, pre- ‘paration rooms, balance rooms, ete. 2 Administrative Offices 1030 11,330 Approx. 9% Includes, Main admin. block ino. medical, & staff lave. All dept. staffroons, supor- visors rooms, porters, otc. Not included, Kitchen & tores. 3 Ciroulation Entrance hall, oorridor staircases, eto, Inolud all open cocridors with: the structure of the building, 3920 435120 Approx. 34.4% 4 Remainder 1630 17,930 Approx. 14.36 Includes all stores, Kitchen, balconies to auditorium, lavatories, etc. eto, Approx. total floor area of School 11,400 125,400 100% 7. Statistios of Spaci 3 Y.1. The school was designed for 24 classes, that is 720 pupils. The total floor area of the uchool ie approx. 11,400 m2. The designed azea (apace) per pupil is therefore (approx.) 15.€m2 « (approx.) 174 ageft. (Note: This is more than double (i. for Secondary Schools in England), + 1006) the usual area per pupil F.2, At the present time there are 820 pupils, so that the area (space) per pupil 1s (approx.) 14u2, or 154 aq.ft. (Note: This is about double the average in England). To the gross extravagance of total area provided must be added the very unsatisfactory apportionaent of the space to particular functions. This can best be demonstrated by a comparison of percentage with @ typical English Seconday School for about the came number of pupils. Teaching Circulation Administration of total area % of total area % of total are 42 Dyta School 423 34e4 9 English Secondary School 63 io 6 G. 9 129) G1, Sctence a. 4 subjects are taught. Chemistry, Physics, Biology & Geology,G2, vb. C. a e f a a There are 12 science mastere end some lab, assistants (aumber not escertained). As previously stated there are 6 laboratories & 2 stepped demonstration - lecture rooms. Zach of the eight rooms has 2 small interconnected rooms, about 9m2 each (100 sq.ft.) which are used variously by the master and for preparation and storage. In addition there are 2 good sizes balance rooms. Each laboratory has a fixed blackboard, but there is no pin-up sur- face. There are no shelves and storage facilities are limited. 41] the work benches are complex-shaped individual unite, with a sink and services in the centre and round which 2, 3 or more boys work. 411 the laboratories are basically the saze in layout and character and basic fittings. The demonstration-lecture rooms are provided with indiviual fixed aruchairs with quite inadequate provision for taking notes. Facilities for blackout, though provided in tvo lecture rooms were denonstrably inefficient. Periods of science per week. Yor 1st year boys, 4 periods (2 chemistry, 2 physics) "and " . 7 ” ‘allocation not ascertained) "3rd" " 12 " (4 chem, 4 physics, 3 diology, 1 geology) " 4th" "uo" (4 chem., 4 physicn, 4 biology, 1 geology) This means, therefore, that there are usually 5 or 6 acience lessons in progress at the same time. (Confirmed by examination of timetable). However, a random check made at 10.30 on the 9th December revealed the startling fact that only one laboratory vas in use, A similar check the following day showed one laboratory and the tvo lecture roome in use. The explanation given for this vas that periods of theoretical science are taken in the gencral purpose classrooms, Several Science masters were questioned about this and the general opinion vas that the department could operate quite satisfactorily vith a total of 5 specialist rooms (not 6 as provided). Libpepy. The library is centrally placed on the first floor. It is ‘@ large room, 195.5u2 (2160 » +fts), one bay of which, about 40m2 (440 aq.ft.), now consists of a bookstore, The room is well lit and pleasant to be in, be o. At present there are just over 5350 books in the library. Mostly they are textbooks and reference books, but there is also a fiction section (about 10% of total) in both Arabic and English. The bookshelves are situated along the perimeter of the room and ‘there are a nuaber of tables vith chairs occupying the bulk of the floor ares. : ‘There is a permanent librarian, who sppears to run the place very efficiently.G3. Cogs ~6- 4, The main funotion of the library is for class teaching under supervision. It ie used in this way for about 20 periods a week. Books may be borrowed by the boys at a specific tine every day, Each boy has his own index card. Private borrowing appears to be discouraged, it is not actually forbidden, except, during "borroving in the Assembly Hall, once @ day at 11 0! clock. There ia a long servery between the Hall and the Kitchen. bs The boys eat standing up at long tables set out in rows across the Hall. Each boy completes his meal in about 10 minutes. 411 the boys in the school are fed within about tventy or twenty five minutes, os The procedure is as follows: Each bey or. arrival collects a plaatic tray, about 12" in diameter. The tray is divided into three parts, one if and two quarters, At the servery he is kitchen staff. The main course (either hot or oo contisting of a single item) is put in the large section, a sveet and salad in the other two. He then goes to his table, eats, and deposite hie empty tray at one vf two collecting places. There are no facilities for drinking (i.e. vater) with meals. (Note, drinking taps are distributed variously around the school). a Spe Ketone remarkable for its sise and shape 36m, Yong ($20 feet) and an average of 7m (23').giide. It is probably three tings. too big. It contained 1 cold store which was empty, an office and some lavatories. The cooking equipment consisted to two cocking ranges only. About 4/Sths of the floor area was empty. There was a double washing up sink and perhaps a bundred foot run of unused bench top with mostly empty storage under: A large potato peeler and a mixer in one 001 yemed not to have been used for sometime. It needs to be emphasized that the main dish consists of caly one item, e.g. macaroni and moat souce. The chief cook stated that life would be easier for them if they had a much smaller kitchen. . Assombly Hall. The Hall is large, 880m2, (9600 aq.ft.) including a large permanent stage. The otage, after 4 years, has still not been ‘completed. G a, Dining is the main function of the Assembly Hall and the only regular daily function. d. Other uses include, Yor examinations, twice a year, 7 days each tine for entrance examination, once e year Yor apecisl lectures, about 3 or 4 tines a year Yor theatre productions, about twice a year.“Te Sone Observations by the Start. Bl HA. B34 Bede #6. In the course of a lengthy talk with the headmaster, he made the following comments. While agreeing that reductions in area could be made without reducing the effectiveness of the education provided there were nevertheless certain lacks. important he felt was the lack of any proper workshops (wood or metal). It should be noted that Proper workshops have not, to date/featured in any secondary sobools in Kuvait, a surprising fact in an emerging country. He also regretted the lack of some suitable smaller rooms for hobbies, club activities, eto. Yoreign teachers from Burope are frequently very critical of conditions, methods and standards. A particularly significant point made vas the restraint on teachers’ personal professional judgement: the absence of what they considered to be the normal educational freedom that teachers should have. Regulations from the Ministry deteraine not only what should be taught but also, to a large extent, how it should be taught, Innovations are discouraged. ‘The Inspectors are very active in ensuring that teachers conform to stendard practice. One curious fact that emerged vas that masters neither set nor mark the yeaxly and half yearly exams of their own pupils; the reason for this Given by one teacher, vas that teachers are judged by the cumber of passes that their class obtains, and it is considered that they have @ personal interest in ensuring that their pupils do welll! Classes are generally noisy and not easy to control. Teachers seemed agreed that discipline was difficult because of the lack of enforceable sanctions, Extensive fluctuation of age and ability in individual, classes did not help either. There are no general staff rooms in Al Dyia. The staff rooms are distributed about the school on a Departmental basis. The result, naturally, is that there is little or no inter-departuental mixing; some foreign teschars said that they did not even know who most of their fellow teachers were. Activities involving the whole school, including staff, were very rare, aii it must be remembored that thore is no staff dining, Many of the teachers spoken to regretted the fact that they all worked in separate watertight compartments. Teachers from England commented on the 'impersonal' and ‘unfriendly’ character of the claesrooms. There is indeed a total absence of effort to make rooms look attractive. The lack of pin-up surfaces on walls results in endless bare walls. There are no shelves for books or for display. The same basic color (very pale grey) is used through- out the school, The floors are of ceramic tiles and the walls and ceilings of hard plaster, so that there is a high noite factor. Storage facilities for teachers do not seem to be adequate. One surprising fact noticed was the absence of a teachers desk in many classrooms. One teacher complained that if he wanted to write, mark, or correct anything, he had to use one of the boys' desks,