Evaluating Maintenance Priority of Structural and Architectural Elements in School Facilities Using AHP Methodology

This paper examines the urgent problem of declining school infrastructure in Iraq, attributed to constrained maintenance funding and the lack of systematic prioritization procedures. It especially seeks to identify and prioritize the most essential maintenance work in educational facilities via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The research sample comprised 30 individuals with substantial expertise in school building management, and five comprehensive interviews were conducted to integrate expert viewpoints and validate the chosen criteria. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was utilized to conduct pairwise comparisons of structural and architectural components through a structured questionnaire. The consistency ratio (CR = 0.00) validated the dependability of the assessments. The results indicated that structural components (88%) were substantially more important than architectural components (11%). Among the structural components, foundations had the highest priority weight (0.36), followed by ceilings (0.20) and roofs (0.16). Elements such as ceiling paint were assigned the lowest priority (0.01). These findings establish a quantitative framework for prioritizing maintenance decisions and efficiently allocating scarce resources. By concentrating on elements that directly affect structural integrity, decision-makers can improve safety, extend building longevity, and optimize budget allocation. The study emphasizes the regional significance of emphasizing foundations in Iraqi schools, in contrast to findings from other areas. The study enhances the field by illustrating the applicability of AHP in a tangible school setting and providing a reproducible framework for analogous contexts. Future research may investigate the integration of AHP with digital tools, such as BIM, and broaden its focus to encompass private schools or various geographic region