In a primary school in Brazil, where football holds great importance, students are motivated to excel academically in classrooms designed to resemble football fields.
Using a virtual avatar inspired by star forward Vinicius Junior, students receive encouragement for every correct answer.
Seated on cushions adorned with football patterns on classroom floors made of artificial grass, students utilize tablets and smartphones to engage with an educational app developed by the Vini Jr Institute. This initiative was founded by the Real Madrid athlete to enhance public education in underprivileged communities.
"I find it easier to learn using the app; it feels like playing a game," said 11-year-old Ana Clara da Silva during an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Sao Goncalo, Vinicius's hometown on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Da Silva attends the Visconde de Sepetiba municipal school, one of 10 in four Brazilian states to have received educational aid from the institute.
Some 4,500 students and 500 teachers have benefited from the project, launched in 2021. By the end of this year, it hopes to have reached 30 schools.
With no intention to replace human teachers, the app was designed as an aid.
Each pupil has a personal account, where their progress is logged as they answer questions presented in a playful, football-inspired way on subjects including mathematics, Portuguese, or science.
In typical gaming format, each school year is presented as a "season," and each subject as a "match," while the avatar "Vinizinho Jr" celebrates each correct answer as if it were a goal.
"We use the power of football, its playful character" to inspire the kids to learn, said Victor Oliveira, executive manager of the Vini Jr Institute.
"Everything we learn, we put into practice on the app. It helps us learn because we are connected to our phones, but not disconnected from our studies," said 11-year-old Yuri Rodrigues.
The institute, initially funded exclusively by Vinicius but now counting other sponsors, also aims to tackle the scourge of racism in a country where more than half the population is black or of mixed race.
It has launched an anti-racism training manual and has provided instruction on the subject to about 80 teachers in the past year.
It is a subject dear to the Brazilian attacker, who has himself suffered several incidents of discrimination in Spain.
"He is very important to all of us," said 11-year-old Ana Clara.
"I'm glad he never gives up. And because his voice reaches a wide audience, he can fight for us," she said.
In October, Vinicius received the Socrates Prize for charitable work at the Ballon d'Or annual football awards.
And last month, the 23-year-old was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, only the second Brazilian footballer to receive the honor after Pele.
