Star Education and Leadership Initiative (SELI) has built and commissioned two fully equipped educational playgrounds for schools in underserved communities in Plateau State, expanding access to play-based learning for more than 500 schoolchildren.
The beneficiary schools: Baptist Model Academy, Gwafan Lamingo, and Happy Days Private School, Tina Junction, Jos, received customised playgrounds fitted with age-appropriate educational play equipment including seesaws, monkey ladders, tire calculators, swings, playhuts, slides, walkways, pyramids, and other interactive learning structures.
Speaking at the commissioning and formal handover of the playgrounds, Aunty Esther Onyinyechi Mark, Founder and Executive Director of SELI, said the project was designed to motivate children to be in school, remain in school, and thrive academically.
“We believe access to quality education is the fundamental right of every child,” she said. “These playgrounds are an enticing reason for children to want to come to school. Beyond the fun, they also serve as teaching aids and educational instructional materials. Teachers can embed many of the play elements into their classroom curriculum to support learning.”
She added that SELI introduced the playgrounds to strengthen school attendance and boost children’s love for learning in a region facing significant education challenges.
“In Northern Nigeria, across the North Central and the North East, we have some of the highest numbers of out-of-school children,” she noted.
“This is our own way of encouraging more children to be in school and stay in school. Through these playgrounds, we want them to feel joy, to develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Play is not just play; play is learning.”
The playgrounds serve dual purposes by supporting children’s cognitive development while also promoting communication skills, social skills, and critical thinking.
The initiative was supported through the Reciprocal Exchange Component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by IREX, in collaboration with Play360.
Our correspondent reports that Parents, teachers, and community leaders expressed their appreciation, noting that the playgrounds have brought renewed excitement to the learning environment and will improve teaching outcomes
