Gov’t to reintroduce school farms in all Senior High Schools – MoE

The Minister in Charge of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum says plans are underway for the central government to reintroduce school farms for hands-on experience for prospective Agriculture students in Senior High Schools.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum announced this during his tour to explore the vast 50,000 acres of National Service Scheme (NSS) farmland intended for agricultural purposes situated at Sekyere Plains in the Ashanti Region.

“We are also supporting the setup of school farms. That together would really create an opportunity for the sustainability of the school feeding projects,” the Minister for Education, Osei Yaw Adutwum added.

The Education Minister also said his outfit is expected to receive 600 bags of maize from the National Service Scheme (NSS) farm from its maiden harvest for the feeding of Free Senior High School (Free SHS) students.

Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, the Executive Director of Ghana National Service Scheme, speaking to journalists said produce from the farms is expected to support the school feeding programme and the free Senior High School (Free SHS).

“If the government is supporting us to grow maize, then the end result is going to support government projects including the school feeding programme and the Free Senior High School (Free SHS).

We’ve signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Poultry Farmers Association, and hopefully, we will serve the entire country,” the Director for the Ghana Service Scheme, Osei Assibey Antwi told the media.

Currently, 2,000 acres of the farm under the Sekyere Kumawu Economic Enclave Project (SKEEP) are actively dedicated to the cultivation of rice and maize, yielding substantial harvests, which are subsequently used to support the school feeding program in Ghana.

This initiative according to the management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) not only aids in providing food for the country but also provides employment opportunities for local farmers and national service personnel.