Malawi's new schools designed in London

A team of London architects is helping thousands of children in southern Africa get a formal education for the first time.

John McAslan + Partners, which is working on the £450million King's Cross station redevelopment, has designed "simple, forward-thinking" schools for Malawi that cost only £17,000.

The modular design means they can be built swiftly and cheaply in a nation where 40 per cent of people cannot read or write, and where subsistence farming is a way of life. The tenth, Kalula School, has just opened in Dowa, near the capital, Lilongwe.

Andy Meira, project architect for the pro bono work in one of the world's least-developed countries said: "Secondary education in Malawi is almost non-existent. One great barrier is proximity of schools, so this programme means young children will not have to walk 10 miles to school."

The practice - also working to help repair Haiti's earthquake damage - is waiting for government approval to roll out the project across Malawi. "The shortfall is estimated at 25,000 classrooms so we need a further 12,500 two-classroom blocks," said Mr Meira. The project is part of the £67million Clinton Hunter Development Initiative.

Mr Meira said: "Malawi depends on foreign aid. We hope to get children learning as the key to its success. We designed the schools to suit adults, too, so they can learn better farming methods."