Assessing the Quality of the Educational Environment in China-Iraq Agreement Schools:An Applied Study of A18 and B18 School Models in Al-Karkh First Directorate of Education

saleh mahbuob; Khalid  Abdulwahab Mustafa

doi:10.71229/ye0s7c21

Authors

Saleh Mahboub Fadhil Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
Khalid Abdulwahab Mustafa Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71229/ye0s7c21

Keywords:

Architectural Assessment, Child-Friendly Schools, Learning Environment Quality, School Design Standards, Standard School Models, Sustainable School Design

Abstract

This study assesses the quality of the educational environment in a sample of schools implemented under the China-Iraq Agreement in Al-Karkh First Directorate of Education. It examines the relationship between the quantitative response to the shortage of school buildings and the quality of the learning environments produced by replicated school models. The research adopts a descriptive, analytical and comparative methodology. It first analyzes the A18 and B18 models, and then evaluates 15 implemented schools using a criteria-based assessment matrix consisting of 20 sub-indicators distributed across seven axes: site capacity and density, classrooms and learning spaces, circulation and safety, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), outdoor spaces, greenery and shade, and indoor environmental quality. The matrix is grounded in Iraqi and international references, including UNICEF Child-Friendly Schools, WHO/UNICEF WASH, INEE Minimum Standards and Building Bulletin 103. The results show that the highest score was 67.5/100 and the sample average was 53.82/100; no school reached good or high compliance levels. The descriptive and correlation analyses indicate that the decline in educational environmental quality is mainly associated with operational density, pressure on sanitation facilities, limited yards, and weak greenery and shade. The study concludes that school models should be developed from fixed, repetitive prototypes into adaptable design systems responsive to site conditions, density and climate.

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