ABSTRACT
In this chapter a contextual analysis of school design in Africa is explored. The chapter seeks to set the background and context to the development of school design in Africa by setting this within the context of a summarised account African education social history. Past education historians from the late 19th century to date have produced very detailed accounts of Africa’s encounter with Western education. References to these sources have provided the sources for significant sections of this chapter. The main focus of the chapter then is to highlight how school building design and evolution which, although influenced by local-national education policies of the day, has often had other contextual factors which have been equally instrumental in determining school building design and building in Africa.
