The management of Chrisland Group of Schools said it is partnering with a United Kingdom-based organisation, Estars, to introduce E-sports in its curriculum as part of its drive for academic development.
Chrisland disclosed this at a dinner event held at the school auditorium in the Lekki area of Lagos State on Wednesday to unveil the collaboration with Estars.
Speaking with newsmen, a member of the Chrisland Board of Directors, Adeniyi Olowoniyi, noted that the school recognised the potential of the platform in the development of academics, especially in the area of sports, which informed its decision to partner with Estars for the initiative.
He added that the school realised the potential of the platform in enhancing the skills and development of its students.
Olowoniyi said, “Estars is a platform where students can use games to learn. We all understand that technology is what drives effectiveness in everything we do. Bringing technology into learning is very important especially because it helps students who are not academically sound to understand that they are in an academic system where sports games are very important.
“The platform will not create distraction for students because it is controlled. It will help in coordination, time management and critical thinking. Games are not just what you can go into, they require thinking properly, and coordination which is very critical for the students.
“This is just an addition to what we currently do. We do field sports and this is to ensure that we have a rounded child by including E-sports in our curriculum.”
In her reaction, founder and chief executive officer of EStars, Mags Byrne, noted that the Estars E-sports platform was launched to address the untapped potential of using sports as a means of developing education globally.
She said that the platform would also create opportunities for students to develop careers in Esports and develop them with skills that could be applied to other fields of human endeavour.
Mags continued, “EStars is dedicated to filling this gap by offering comprehensive education on the various aspects of the industry, guiding students towards future careers in Esports, and leveraging Esports as a tool to enhance traditional education.
“This unique approach prepares students not only for success in the gaming world but also to equip them with skills applicable to numerous other fields.
“EStars is set to become the most recognised educational Esports company on the African continent, starting with its rollout in Nigeria.”
She noted that the platform would not only target private schools alone in its drive for growth but would also engage with public schools in its expansion drive.
“This year, the company plans to introduce the Esports Club to as many schools as possible, laying the foundation for widespread educational transformation.”
A year seven student of Chrisland Schools, Ernest Falomo, who had used the platform in its test run stage, noted that the diverse sections on the Esports platform made it an interesting use for students as it aids critical thinking, teamwork, and cooperation among others.
Falomo said, “It has sections that users can choose from and the section that allows users to monitor their presence and progress. I learnt how to make quick decisions, cooperative skills, strategic thinking and planning, and exploring skills. It boosts each aspect of education.”
While reacting to concerns that the platform could expose students to other social vices, the Chrisland Executive Head of Schools, Segun Ogunshola, noted that the platform had been configured with internal security measures that restrict learners to the objective of the platform alone.
“One of our cardinal points in Chrisland is child protection and safeguarding. Much as we are aware that there are a lot of social vices going on in cyberspace, we have examined the platform critically and we discovered that the platform has been embedded with security that curtails what the learners can do and what they are exposed to when they are on the platform. It is a platform that has been restricted to what the learners are supposed to benefit alone,” Ogunshola concluded.