The International Day of Play – June 11th declared by the United Nations is set to recognize and celebrate the power of play to aid acquisition of knowledge and skills especially by children globally. Interestingly many people are not aware of this day, the significance of play in Early Childhood Education (ECE), the Nigerian government’s endorsement for play based learning and the efforts to access to ECE for children from poor families.

A common misconception about Play and Learning is that play has no place in learning because children have enough time to play, and school should be strictly for learning[1]. Similarly, we often come across the common terminology used to describe Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) schools as “akara school” in Nigeria where children eat, sleep and play all day with no real learning achieved. Many myths run along these lines which tag professionals and caregivers as being lazy and utilize play to pass time with no real benefit, that play has no specific learning goal or outcome and is more inclined to social benefits and that plan does not appear to challenge pupils for academic learning purposes[2]. These shared concerns by mostly parents and guardians suggests that there is an unclear understanding of the concept of play-based learning in ECE.

Significance of Play Based Learning
Contrary to these notions, play based learning is a vital aspect of early childhood development which does not only emphasize the use of play in promoting multiple areas of children’s development and learning [3]but is a means to exercise the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, which states that all children have the right to play[4].  In furtherance to this, the place of play in learning as established in the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development states: “The idea (of play-based learning in ECCD) is that children should first develop social, emotional, motor and cognitive skills in order to be ready to later begin learning knowledge contents in primary school.” – Samuelsson I.P. & Pramling N., 2023

Evolution of Play- Based Learning and Government Commitment
The scope of ECCD in Nigeria covers Creche, Nursery/Kindergarten for children aged 0-4 years old, while the one-year compulsory and free pre-primary education is for children aged 5 years, preparatory for primary education.[5] The origin and practice of play based ECCD learning in Nigeria can be dated back to the introduction of Montessori education between 1926 and 1934 by the Nun of Calabar.[6] This concept inferred that children learned best in their own pace, in their own way and based on natural zeal. [7] As of November 2015, the teacher centred learning approach through direct instructions (say after me method) to pupils was the major strategy adopted by the Public ECE Centers.[8] Play based learning in early childhood education was adopted in 2016 by the Government of Nigeria as a part of an investment in quality play and inclusion. To implement the Learning Through Play (LTP) approach and ensure play-based learning is fully institutionalized in the ECE subsector, the government focused efforts at 3 levels; ECE curriculum and materials reform, teacher training, and supportive supervision, mentorship, and oversight (UNICEF).[9]

dRPC’s Support to improve access and quality of ECE for Children from Poor Families in Kano and Jigawa State
The Nigerian government commitment to the implementation of LTP at national and subnational levels garnered the support for the development Research and Project Center (dRPC), a non-Profit NGO to implement projects and conduct research in the areas of ECCD in collaboration with Education Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA). The dRPC began its work on ECCD initiatives 20 years ago with the support of Bernard Van Leer Foundation. Between 2004-2024, the dRPC through two ECCD projects, advocated for the creation of a National ECCD Policy, trained over 100 local teachers, conducted 2 National Dialogues on ECCD and provided support to the establishment of 55 community based ECCD Centres in Kano and Jigawa states. These projects were implemented in collaboration with the Kano and Jigawa State Ministries of Education (MoE), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Federation Of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Kano State Library Board (KSLB). The impact of the second ECCD Project funded by the dRPC from 2019- 2024 include the enrolment of 9,280 children from low-income families into community based ECCD Centres in 10 LGAs across Kano and Jigawa state. It also empowered 40 female young secondary school leavers to become eduprenures and built their capacity through 10 workshops focused on strengthening play-based learning in the dRPC supported community based ECCD schools. This project aimed to increase the likelihood of financial support for the 40 selected beneficiaries to transition to tertiary institution, reduce the immediate possibility of early marriage and domestic servitude while promoting an early grade learning culture in the communities[10].

 

[1] https://tryingtogether.org/dap/early-learning-myths-vs-facts/

[2] https://www.twinkl.com.ng/blog/introducing-play-based-learning-to-parents

[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370585598_Impact_of_play-based_learning_on_the_development_of_children_in_mobile_early_childhood_care_and_education_centres_Practitioners’_perspectives

[4] UN. Convention of the Rights of the Child. 1989.

[5] https://nemiserp.com/NIGERIA%20DIGEST%202021-1.pdf

[6]https://rivistadistoriadelleducazione.it/index.php/rse/article/view/10344#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CNun%20of%20Calabar%E2%80%9D%2C,1926%20and%201934%20in%20Nigeria.

[7] https://www.academia.edu/8175721/Montessori_Education_in_Nigeria

[8] https://www.idpublications.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Full-Paper-NIGERIAN-EARLY-CHILDHOOD-EDUCATION-POLICIES-AND-PRACTICES-FOR-SUSTAINABILITY.pdf

[9] https://www.unicef.org/documents/enhancing-play-based-learning-through-supportive-supervision-nigeria

[10] https://drpcngr.org/project/early-childhood-care-and-development/