The best education for the best is the best education for all.”- Robert M. Hutchins

Education knows no bounds. And this has been proved by the Nigerian instructors of Lagos.

In the coastal region of the Makoko, a school has been built employing Nigerian instructors and pupils. The vulnerability of Lagos’s coastline posed hardships for the Makoko community, as it was unviable to reach the learning institutions nearby. In 2013, NLE architects, with sponsorship from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Heinrich Boell Foundation (Germany), created a floating communal learning and living space using architecture pliancy.

The Makoko’s triangular A-frame structure is three stories high, constructed to survive the water level rise in the lagoon. The material and resources used in construction are mostly local and retains the cultural aspects of the community. The structure is naturally ventilated and has a rainwater catchment system on the roof through PV cells. The use of plastic barrels achieves the ‘floating’ part as a bottom.

The school spans across 1000 square feet and consists of the play area, compost toilets, and classrooms with a capacity of 100 people, including the Nigerian instructors as well. Journalist Jessica Collins evoked the structure, “rising like a beacon out of the murky Lagos Lagoon.”

According to the UN, the population of 28 African countries is expected to double by 2050. Africa has the youngest age distribution of any global community. Thus, Nigerian instructors like the ones in the Makoko are vital in providing educational services there.