Floating Education System
In Makoko, the FES has a Floating School Network (FSN) composed of Floating Buildings divided in three levels, initial, primary and secondary school. More than 20,000 children attend every day. Their education continues in the Floating Trade School (FTS). They have three specific options, "Tourist and Services"; "Coding School" and "Fine Arts". They can complete their Education in Universities, online, in Lagos, Benin, France, UK, United States and other countries with Academic Exchange Agreements. Makoko is a member of the Seasteading Movement.
All the Schools in Makoko are interconnected and they share knowledge with the others. They also connect with different schools throughout the world. In the FSN, the kids use daily Alternate Reality Games (games that use the real world as a platform but have an interactive narrative and use outside methods of communication). Interactive and participatory learning methods help the students to understand the real World. Graduates of the FSN (Floating School Network) that belong to the Hacker Spaces and Maker Movement are the facilitators in the workshops with the kids. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are part of the methodology. “Learning as play and play as learning; experimentation is the key," says, Noah.
They use VR and AR experiences to learn in the environment, observing real objects and playing with the technology. The teachers are the Curators in that space. The students use them in their own mobile devices. The schools have every available technology. Everyone has Portable and Wearable Technology in their wetsuits uniforms, but they also carry their personal devices in their bodies, in their clothes, especially in the typical “Yoruba or Egun” cups. They have features on their clothes to show their identity. Also, they carry Smart bracelets with personal information, GPS, weather alerts, and cameras to collect material for the classes.
The FES is an essential reference for the creation of Content and development of Talents.
Education content: Africa is becoming more important in the international community. Anthropologists, academics, and businessmen are trying to understand more this place in the world. Many schools with Western Education are interested in African culture. In the Floating School Network, they develop content for education and share collaboratively with others. This experience with the original features from Makoko, are transforming the teaching in certain environments. The different interests of the Kids will influence the use of technology and the creation of the content.
African DNA is joy, make and reinvent. They take the risk and go ahead. Teaching pushes The Hacker Spaces and Maker Movement and the Entrepreneurship Network inside the Floatings Trade schools. They develop content for all devices -graphic novels, comics, games, VR experiences- in collaboration with Animation Companies and Nollywood industry. The Entrepreneurship Network presents projects in Crowdsourcing platforms and they get funds and renewable resources to reuse in their experiments. One of the most popular influences in the "African Collective Imaginary" was E.X.O the Hero of The Lagoon City... The Legend of Wale Williams, a superhero story about redemption set in a futuristic 2025 Africa.
Talent Development: The Schools provide Human Capital for the Nollywood Industry. After twenty years, Makoko has their own "Start System", (producers, directors, musicians, actors, dancers, etc.) and they are in contact with the community. They still have their families there. Ties with the communities are strong. Some of the graduates help with legal regulation and support with their knowledge and initiatives for business.
Partners: The School Network provides and at the same time receives directly from the industry the content for the movies. They project and share every kind of movie with the community in open spaces. Also, they watch them in the Floating Theater and small showrooms. The Nollywood industry is free for education objectives.