JUBA – The Government of South Sudan is promoting play-based learning as part of efforts to improve literacy and numeracy among young learners, an approach expected to help children develop stronger foundational skills and improve overall learning outcomes.
The play-based learning encourages children to learn through interactive activities such as games, storytelling, songs, role-playing, puzzles, and other hands-on experiences that stimulate creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Speaking to Sudans Post on Wednesday following the launch of the four-year Play Matters project, Omot Olok Okony, Undersecretary at the National Ministry of General Education, said the ministry intends to integrate the approach into teacher training and professional development programs to ensure its long-term sustainability beyond donor support.
“In our country, we face a significant challenge in achieving foundational learning in numeracy and literacy. If ‘Play Matters’ is well implemented, it can significantly enhance foundational learning in these areas,” Okony said.
Okony stated that the project has the potential to address one of the country’s major educational challenges by improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills among learners.
“This is actually the most challenging factor affecting our learners. Some of our students, even at the secondary level, struggle with reading and speaking.”
This ambitious education initiative aims to improve literacy and numeracy for over 150,000 primary school learners across seven states in South Sudan.
The program, which runs from July 1, 2026, to June 2030, is being implemented by a consortium comprising the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Plan International, and War Child Alliance, working closely with the national and state ministries of education.
Funded by the LEGO Foundation and the UBS Optimus Foundation, the initiative seeks to make learning more engaging through play-based approaches while improving educational outcomes in primary schools.
Okony said the government would collaborate with implementing partners to integrate play-based learning into teacher training institutions and the country’s continuous professional development system to ensure the approach continues after donor funding ends.
“The Ministry is fully committed to this partnership and will help embed these methods within our teacher training institutions and our continuous professional development system so that it becomes ours,” he affirmed.
He emphasized the need to sustain and expand the program nationwide after donor funding ends, warning that restricting implementation to only seven states could further widen disparities in learning outcomes.
For his part, Richard Oriengo, Country Director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said the project is designed to improve learning outcomes for primary school learners across South Sudan.
Oriengo explained that the program focuses on strengthening children’s reading and numeracy skills through interactive learning methods.
“Play matters, as has been said—and I repeat—is not just football. It is more about using interactive play to facilitate learning in the classroom. It involves both indoor and outdoor learning, where children and teachers use play-based methodologies as a modality for learning,” Oriengo clarified.
He added that the project will initially target 420 schools across the country.
“The project is going to target 420 schools across the country in seven states. Teachers and school administrators will identify selected teachers who will be trained on how to use play to deliver the South Sudan curriculum,” he said.
