Book and Boot Foundation Trains Rural Students in Scrabble, Promotes Sports Equality

Book and Boot Foundation has launched a grassroots sports initiative aimed at promoting sports participation and reducing inequality among students in rural communities, beginning with a four-day Scrabble training programme for more than 50 students in Ogun State.

The training was held at El-Berit Academy in Esupofo community, Ado Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State, where students were introduced to the fundamentals of Scrabble and provided with playing kits, including Scrabble boards, tiles, racks and score sheets.

Speaking during the programme, the foundation’s director, Dotun Omisakin, said the initiative was created to bridge the gap in access to sports opportunities, particularly for children in rural communities.

“We have observed that some sports are highly capital intensive, which cannot be afforded by some children in the rural communities,” Omisakin said.

He explained that Book and Boot Foundation also focuses on supporting student-athletes and organising collegiate-related sporting events.

According to him, the foundation’s name reflects its dual commitment to education and sports, with “book” representing academics and “boot” representing sports.

“The purpose is to advocate for student-athletes and bridge the gap of sports inequality,” he said.

Omisakin commended the President of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), Adegbesan Adekoyejo, Zenith Emperor Football, Raijh Edatomola and other supporters for contributing to the success of the initiative.

He also called for increased private-sector sponsorship to strengthen grassroots sports development and create more opportunities for young athletes.

Paul Gbadegesin, one of the trainers, described Scrabble as a mind game capable of helping students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

“I introduced the game to the students and taught them the history of Scrabble, while Nigeria Scrabble player Akeem Ogundokun engaged them on how to play the game,” he said.

Gbadegesin added that PANASA supported the programme by providing a professional Scrabble set, giving the students the opportunity to learn with standard equipment rather than relying on paper-based alternatives.

The founder of El-Berit Academy, Oluwayomi Oladeji, stressed the importance of combining academic development with sports and other extracurricular activities.

“There are three domains of education: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. For us as a school, we are focused on engaging our students in sports and are glad to have Book and Boot Foundation bringing the initiative to our school,” she said.

Oladeji further noted that education should extend beyond the traditional classroom environment, with activities such as Scrabble helping students develop cognitive, communication, problem-solving and social skills.

“Education goes beyond what happens within the four walls of a classroom. For us as a school, we are intentional about creating opportunities for our students to develop their thinking, communication, problem-solving and social skills, and we are glad to have Book and Boot Foundation bringing this Scrabble initiative to our school for our Summer Discovery Programme,” she said.

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