Star Educational Leadership InitiaTive Inaugurates 2 School Playgrounds

The Star Educational Leadership Initiative (SELI) has inaugurated two playgrounds for schools in underserved communities in Plateau State, thereby expanding access to play-based learning for over 500 schoolchildren.

The benefitting schools are Baptist Model Academy, Gwafan Lamingo, and Happy Days Private School, Tina Junction, Jos, which received customised playgrounds fitted with age-appropriate educational play equipment, including seesaws, monkey ladders, tyre climbers, swings, play huts, slides, walkways, pyramids, and other interactive learning structures.

The founder and executive director of SELI, Esther Mark, said the project was designed to motivate children to attend school, stay 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, social, and critical thinking skills.

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.

LEADERSHIP 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.