Play-based learning at the heart of local communities

Ermera, 11 May 2024 - In Ermera, the cutting valleys and steep hills make it hard for young children to attend pre-school. For many children, especially those living in the most rural parts of the Municipality, the long and arduous distances to the nearest facilities, makes early learning an unattainable dream.

In the wet season especially, many children cannot make the journey to school, fearing the dangers of flooding and mudslides in these hills. 

For students such as young Antonia from Lebululi primary school, formal learning therefore only begins in grade one. Other students in Antonia’s class give a recurring message when asked why they were unable to attend preschool: “I live far away. Sometimes, when it rains, I find it hard to walk to school.”

Barriers do not have to be environmental only, with some parents not seeing preschool as a necessary part of a child’s educational development.

Although Antonia is now happy that she does not have to walk far to attend school at Lebululi Primary School, it has not been easy for this eager young student to catch up with some of the basic literacy and numeracy concepts, which are normally taught at pre-school. 

Saturday morning’s are therefore Antonia’s favourite moments as she gets to play with her peers, participating in singing, dancing, and drawing activities, which help them to catch up with some of the lessons which they missed by not attending pre-school. 

Together with 40 other students from her class, Antonia gets the opportunity to participate in a play-based learning approaches, which are part of the School Readiness Programme’s peer mentor approach.

Her favourite subject at school is Portuguese. “I love Portuguese because my teacher, Aluru, makes it fun to learn!”, says Antonia, who has enjoyed the different story telling and singing sessions, which infuse lyrics in Tetum and Portuguese. 

Although preschool is an essential part of development for children, as it not only provides social interaction but play-based learning to stimulate a child’s early learning experiences, in Timor-Leste, this critical stage of learning is not mandated by Government. 

For example, the 2022 Household census shows that in Ermera Municipality, where Antonia is from, only 15 per cent of children aged 3- to 5-year-old, are able to attend preschool. Antonia was one of this 85 per cent who missed out on a crucial stage of her early development. UNICEF Timor-Leste, with support from UNICEF Korea and the Australian Government via the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) is supporting the Government of Timor-Leste in changing these statistics around, and giving Antonia a fair chance to catch up with the basic concepts which will lay the foundation for her future academic achievements.

Through the School Readiness Programme, targeted schools are using the opportunity of Saturday mornings to provide a play-based education curriculum for children who otherwise missed preschool. The programme is present in 71 schools across 7 Municipalities in Timor-Leste, providing once-a-week activities for children in Grade 1, and giving them the chance to adopt the essential skills to help them successfully graduate to the next level of learning.  

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are, Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky,” says Antonia, as she recites one of her favourite nursery rhymes, animating and using hand gestures to show her clear understanding of each word which is in this rhyme. 

It is obvious by just looking at Antonia both inside and outside of the classroom, how effective this programme is. Not only is she taking part in the singing and dancing, but she is also encouraging her friends to sing louder and be more involved with group activities. Her peer mentor then reads to Antonia and her Grade 1 peer, helping both their listening and reading comprehension skills.

“Play-based learning is an effective and interactive method of education for young children to engage their minds in a social learning environment. With the support of the teachers and peer mentors, these young students develop their academic, social and emotional skills in a fun, safe and positive environment,” says Umasree Polepeddi, Chief of Education at UNICEF Timor-Leste.

 

After singing and dancing, Antonia engages in more critical, and practical, activities. This involves drawing, where Antonia draws the flag of Timor-Leste, flowers, and her family’s home. She was so absorbed by this drawing that it was easy to imagine she took no heed to what her peers were doing around her. She was then engaged in a puzzle-solving game, where students had to piece together pictures of animals.

One of the most important features of this programme, is the inclusion of peer mentors, who are students from the Grades 5 and 6 classes, who are given through training to facilitate the lessons alongside the teachers. By being peer mentors, these vibrant older students are prepared to take leadership and responsibility roles. Being a peer mentor is a coveted position in the school and many Grade 5 students aspire to get this role as well.  

Thanks to this innovative programme, children like Antonia can now being set for lifelong learning and brighter prospects in life.  
 

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