In the quiet riverine community of Saga, Epe, Lagos, a striking bamboo structure rises from the river’s edge - not a resort, but a revolutionary school.
It’s called The Slum2School Green Academy, and it may be Nigeria’s most innovative response yet to the education crisis in underserved communities. The school sits low and circular beside a quiet creek, its walls woven from bamboo and its roof dotted with solar panels. At daybreak, many children step off wooden boats, hang damp life vests on a rail and file into classrooms that hum to the sound of lessons powered by the sun.
The Slum2School Green Academy opened this year in the riverine Saga community, offering what residents say is a first: free, nearby schooling that doesn’t require hours of paddling or walking. Built largely from local materials, the campus is designed to run off-grid, harvesting rainwater for drinking and using a small biogas system to turn waste into cooking fuel for staff quarters.
“Transformation begins where inclusion starts, we cannot speak of Africa’s transformation while millions of its children remain excluded from education and maginalized,” said Orondaam Otto, founder of Slum2School Africa, the Non profit that built the Green Academy. “Our mission is simple - to reach them, to teach them, and to ensure no child is left behind.”
Slum2School Green Academy, in Saga community, Epe, Lagos. Courtesy Slum2school Media
About 250 students from Saga and six neighboring island settlements now attend the academy. Enrollment skews young, but older pupils - some who missed early years of schooling - are placed in accelerated classes. Teachers from the community work alongside educators recruited from other parts of Lagos and housed on site in four compact studio apartments.
Nigeria has one of the world’s largest populations of children out of school, a figure international agencies have put above 20 million. In riverine and informal settlements, families cite distance, safety on the water and cost as the main barriers. Parents in Saga described a pattern familiar across the coast: children start late, stop often, and rarely finish.
For Ruth Adeyemi, who sells smoked fish in the Epe fish market, the bamboo school means more than classes and uniforms. “My children had never sat in a classroom before this one,” she said softly, cleaning her eyes as she spoke emotionally. “Every morning I watch them walk to school right here in their community and I know their future will not be like mine.”
The campus features a circular architectural design that symbolizes unity and community. Its rooftop holds about 90 units of 300-watt solar panels connected to a 27-kilowatt solar array, monitored from a small control room to ensure steady power. Inside the classrooms, students learn with tablets and laptops connected to high-speed satellite internet. Beyond the buildings, a lush garden grows vegetables used for school meals and serves as a living classroom for lessons on agriculture and nutrition.
School leaders say the design is pragmatic: bamboo can be sourced and repaired locally, and solar power circumvents diesel costs and outages that stall instruction. The rain system stores water in tanks, filtered for drinking. A compact biodigester captures methane from toilets and kitchen waste, fueling cooktops in the staff residences.
“This school was engineered to solve problems before they arise,” said Adekunle Idowu, a senior program manager. “Every panel, pipe, and beam was designed for resilience - so even in the most remote community, children can learn without interruption.”
Slum2School began as a volunteer effort in Lagos in 2012 after visits to the floating community of Makoko, where the group met children who had never entered a classroom. Since then, the organization says it has supported more than 710,000 children across 515 underserved communities with a mix of scholarships, health services and psychosocial support.
The Saga project extends that model by combining infrastructure with instruction. Teachers follow an accelerated learning curriculum designed to help students who started late gain literacy and numeracy faster. Lessons include civic education, science and storytelling. A technology block offers basic programming and digital safety. Several times a week, classes join video sessions with volunteer mentors in other Nigerian cities and abroad.
“Many of these children are only just learning to read at ages nine and eleven - they’ve lost several years of schooling,” said Oluyemi Alugo, Slum2School’s education and innovation manager. “Our accelerated learning program uses short, high-frequency lessons that rebuild confidence and help them catch up quickly. With digital connectivity, we can bring in expert instructors and expose the children to diverse voices and ideas from around the world.”
Outside of academics, the timetable includes music and performance, sports, visual arts and public speaking. Counselors run small-group sessions for students who have experienced trauma or loss. Staff say the combination of steady routines and visible progress has improved attendance.
“The children are excited to come,” said teacher Queen, who grew up in a nearby lagoon settlement. “When the internet comes on and they can talk to another classroom, it is like traveling.”
Learners and Teachers at the Slum2School Green Academy: Courtesy Slum2School Africa
The academy’s construction relied on a network of donors and in-kind support. The BioMérieux Endowment Fund financed and provided part of the seed funding, according to the organization. HP supplied devices for the digital lab. United Airlines provided school supplies, while several local organizations and volunteers donated towards the project. Residents were hired and trained to work with bamboo and raffia, experience they say they can now use on other projects.
Speaking to Local Government officials, they praised the Slum2School Green Academy as a milestone for inclusive education in Lagos State. Hon. Princess Surah Olayemi Animashaun, Chairperson of Epe Local Government, said the project “has restored hope to our children and renewed parents’ confidence in quality education,” pledging continued government support to sustain it.
Lagos State Universal Education Board member Hon. Owolabi Falana described the academy as “equity in action,” a model of collaboration between government and innovative organizations. Mrs. Ozioma Izuora, Lagos Coordinator of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), commended its focus on teacher development, noting that “quality education begins with quality teachers.”
Parents pay no fees. The nonprofit says individual and corporate sponsors underwrite the annual cost per child which is about $150, and covers instruction, materials, basic health care and meals. Volunteers - from university students to professionals - cycle through the campus to mentor, coach sports or support reading programs.
On a recent morning, a light rain sent ripples across the inlet as about 20 students gathered in the school’s digital lab, their faces lit by the soft glow of computer screens. In another room, 25 children wearing virtual reality headsets and exploring an underwater ecosystem, as their teacher explained the food chain. By 11am, the hum of activity paused for a 15-minute mindfulness session - a daily ritual that helps the children breathe, reflect, and reset before afternoon lessons begin. In the stillness, the sound of rain and birdsong filled the open bamboo halls. Just a year ago, on this same spot, children would have played barefoot in the rain - with laughter in their voices but no school in sight.
Slum2School says the campus is a prototype. The organization is assessing sites in other coastal and hard-to-reach areas, including communities where conflict and displacement have disrupted schooling. Each build, the organization says, would adapt to local conditions - different roof pitches for wind, stilts for frequent flooding, shaded courtyards for hotter zones.
Education experts caution that technology and infrastructure alone will not close Nigeria’s education gaps. Teacher training, access, retention, and sustainable funding remain ongoing challenges. Yet they say the Slum2School Green Academy offers a glimpse of what’s possible when innovation meets community-driven solutions.
Learners playing Volleyball at the Slum2School Green Academy: Courtesy Slum2School Africa
“This isn’t a silver bullet,” Otto said. “It’s a practical model for places the traditional system has never reached - and one that can be easily scaled.”
By midday, students broke for lunch, laughter echoing through the bamboo halls. Some rehearsed a play for Partners’ Day, others practiced basketball or painted in the art studio, while teachers reviewed lesson plans in the outdoor classroom.
“We’re still learning what works best,” said Oluyemi Alugo as the closing bell rang. “But the children are here - learning, creating, and believing again. Every day we show up, we’re not just teaching; we’re rewriting what education can be for communities once left behind. Our hope is to reach millions more children across Nigeria and Africa waiting for this opportunity.”
For partnerships, donations, or inquiries, visit www.slum2school.org/greenacademy or email info@slum2school.org
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