Lagos' Slum2School Green Academy Makes History as First Nigerian School Shortlisted for World's Best School Prize

History has been made in Nigeria's education sector after the Slum2School Green Academy, located in the riverine community of Saga Island in Epe, Lagos State, became the first Nigerian school ever shortlisted for the prestigious World's Best School Prize, earning a place among the global Top 10 for Environmental Action.

The announcement was made by T4 Education, the UK-headquartered global organisation behind the awards, which are widely regarded within international education circles as the "World Cup for Schools." The recognition places the Green Academy among an elite group of institutions worldwide being celebrated for climate-conscious innovation in education, positioning Nigeria, for the first time, as a genuine global leader in sustainable schooling.

Now in its fifth year, the World's Best School Prizes celebrate institutions driving meaningful change across five categories: Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives. Over the years, the prize has grown into one of the most prestigious platforms in global education, spotlighting schools that are actively preparing young people to navigate an increasingly uncertain and rapidly changing world.

Speaking on the significance of this year's shortlist, T4 Education founder Vikas Pota said the shortlisted schools have each, in their own distinctive ways, helped equip young people to face a world defined by mounting uncertainty. He stressed the growing importance of schools cultivating leaders capable of confronting major global challenges, ranging from rising conflict and inequality to populism and the deepening climate crisis.

A panel of judges making up the prize's expert Judging Academy will determine the eventual winners, with the Top 3 finalists and category prize winners set to be announced in November 2026. In a parallel process, all 50 shortlisted schools worldwide, including the Green Academy, are also competing for the Community Choice Award, which will be decided through public voting rather than expert judgment — giving supporters of the Lagos school a direct opportunity to boost its chances on the global stage.

The Slum2School Green Academy itself was born out of a distinctly Nigerian challenge: children living in isolated, water-locked riverine communities who had no meaningful access to formal education. Today, the school serves 250 children drawn from eight riverine communities, offering a learning environment that stands apart from almost anything else in Nigeria's education landscape.

Constructed largely from locally sourced bamboo and wood, the school is entirely solar-powered and harvests up to 160,000 litres of rainwater annually, supporting its operations sustainably in an area where reliable water access has historically been a major challenge. The school also runs a waste-to-biogas system that converts organic waste into clean cooking energy, reducing reliance on firewood or other less sustainable fuel sources common in similar communities. Architecturally, its circular, open-air classrooms are designed to reflect African communal values while maximising natural airflow and light, reducing the need for artificial cooling or lighting in a hot, humid riverine environment.

Environmental education at the Green Academy goes well beyond classroom theory. Students engage directly and practically with their environment, growing food, managing composting systems, running hydroponic setups, and even transforming invasive water hyacinths, which choke local waterways, into marketable products. At the Green Academy, environmental action is not treated as a standalone subject but functions as the underlying foundation for nearly every aspect of school life, from science lessons to everyday chores.

Beyond its environmental design, the school has also delivered a significant, if less visible, form of infrastructure to the wider Saga community: its first reliable internet connection. That connectivity has opened access to digital learning tools, global virtual classrooms, and mentorship opportunities for children who previously had little to no exposure to the wider digital world, effectively bridging both an educational and a technological gap in one initiative.

The Green Academy's shortlisting is likely to draw significant attention to Slum2School's broader model of community-driven, sustainability-focused education, particularly as Nigeria and other developing nations continue grappling with how to expand access to quality education in hard-to-reach communities without compromising on environmental sustainability. With the Top 3 finalists due to be announced in November, attention will now turn to whether the Lagos school can advance further in a competition that has quickly become one of the most closely watched showcases of educational innovation worldwide.