18 Aug Using Shipping Containers to Build Low-Cost Classrooms

Providing adequate classroom accommodation, especially in rural areas, has been a long-standing challenge in South Africa. Building costs are high and they continue to increase. By contrast, education budgets are woefully inadequate, repeatedly failing to keep pace with inflation. The result is that teachers are often expected to work in cramped premises with class numbers too large to be manageable. Fortunately, there is now a potential solution. Used shipping containers can be converted into anything from a luxury summerhouse or site office to a fully equipped classroom for a fraction of the cost of a conventional bricks-and-mortar build. Why Are Shipping Containers Ideal for Classrooms? Two features of these units make them ideal for building purposes. Firstly, their steel bodies are strong enough to withstand repeated handling by dockside cranes and the extreme weather conditions often faced by ocean-going vessels. Secondly, their rectangular shape and standardised dimensions are ideal for use in modular structures. Individually, they provide the framework for a single classroom. However, one could construct an entire school by welding several shipping containers together. However, these rectangular metal boxes are not only a means to develop a facility from scratch. They can also be the answer when it is necessary to expand the accommodation of...