As part of ongoing collaboration with academic institutions to advance learning through play in Ethiopia’s education system, PlayMatters, Addis Ababa University and Kotebe University of Education recently co-authored a policy brief, ‘’Valuing Play-Based Learning for Quality Early Childhood Development’’, which has now been published in the Kotebe Journal of Education.  

This publication marks a step in strengthening the visibility and credibility of learning through play within Ethiopia’s education sector, while highlighting the role that academic institutions can play in shaping policy, and teacher professional development programs.  

The role of universities in scaling learning through play 

Academic institutions have an important role to play in advancing learning through play within education systems and practices. As voices that shape policy and practice, universities can help move learning through play beyond project-based implementation and into the systems, structures, and institutions that influence how teachers are trained and supported. 

The partnership with Kotebe University of Education reflects a broader effort to ensure that learning through play is not seen only as a short-term project intervention, but as a sustainable and evidence-based approach embedded within Ethiopia education policy and practice. Through this collaboration, PlayMatters and Kotebe University are helping to strengthen the evidence base for learning through play and increase its visibility within academic circles. These efforts also advance research on play-based learning, helping generate evidence that informs both policy decisions and classroom practice. 

In this way, universities can become key drivers of systemic change. By connecting research, teacher training, and policy dialogue, they help ensure that learning through play is not only adopted in classrooms but sustained across institutions.  

For PlayMatters, the partnership with Kotebe University of Education represents an important step toward strengthening the foundations needed to scale learning through play within Ethiopia’s education system, ensuring that more children can experience joyful, meaningful learning that supports their development and wellbeing. 

Read more about the policy brief.