Uganda Government Endorses Learning Through Play for National Education System

The Ministry of Education and Sports has announced its commitment to institutionalizing the ‘Learning through Play’ approach across Uganda’s schools. This strategic shift aims to embed play-based learning methodologies into the fabric of teacher education, professional development, and daily classroom activities, ensuring its sustainability beyond the scope of individual projects.

This endorsement was highlighted during the launch of PlayMatters 3.0 in Kampala. Stakeholders discussed how lessons learned from previous phases of the program, a regional initiative led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) with support from the LEGO Foundation, can be leveraged to enhance teacher training and practice.

Max Okiror, Commissioner for Teacher Education, emphasized the need to integrate ‘Learning through Play’ into existing national structures. “We need to embed it within our existing national systems, including teacher education, Teacher Continuous Professional Development and broader professional development frameworks,” Okiror stated. This integration is intended to cover both pre-service and in-service teacher training, including mentorship and support systems.

The move addresses concerns about the effectiveness of traditional, passive teaching methods that often lead to rote memorization without deep understanding. Andrew Tabura, a Principal Education Officer, noted that active, play-based methods are crucial for improving children’s engagement and learning, particularly at pre-primary and lower primary levels.

The PlayMatters program, now in its third phase, aims to scale up its reach, with plans to target 500,000 children in the current phase and an ambition to reach 2.5 million learners. In Uganda, the program will focus on refugee-hosting districts, working with both refugee and host community schools.

Elijah Okeyo, Country Director of the IRC, highlighted the importance of local ownership and collaboration in this new phase. “PlayMatters 3.0 is all about local ownership, synergies across the ecosystem, learning, government engagement to collectively celebrate and scale the value of Learning through Play,” he said. The ministry’s stance signifies a crucial step towards making play-based learning a permanent feature of Uganda’s educational landscape.

Source: Nile Post