Prof. Uchenna Eze, Commissioner for Education, Enugu State, on Wednesday said all schools in the state must provide and maintain demonstration farms to ensure that youths embrace modern agriculture.

Eze told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu that a piece of land must henceforth be earmarked for farming in all schools just as a field is provided for sports.

Eze said his ministry might reconsider fresh registration for all schools to ensure that the school environment was conducive for different aspects of learning.

“The demonstration farms will be used to teach modern methods of agriculture as well as introducing the children to agricultural entrepreneurship.

“What all these will do is to prepare some of the children, who will take to agriculture in the future, early and well-equipped to be successful farmers and agro-allied entrepreneurs.

“This, in turn, will ensure food security and jobs for them and others in the near future in the state and the country at large,” Eze added

According to him, education should be complemented with other activities aimed at developing every child’s talents in other areas of human endeavour.

“Games and sports help to develop some other children in the psycho-motor aspect of education; thus, helping to develop their latent sports and games talents.

“While some other children dwell more ineffective aspect of education; where they are more effective in practical or hands-on skill aspect of learning, which the demonstration farm will effectively help to develop.

“So, the ministry is looking at developing children in the state in the various aspects of education as well as creating enabling environment for each individual child with individual talent and endowment to develop as well,” he said.

The commissioner explained that the new directive on provision of demonstration farms would now form part of the requirements for registration of both public and private schools in the state.

“For this singular reason, we have made it compulsory that the land for any primary school to be approved henceforth will be at least six plots of land.

“While that of secondary school must be nothing less than eight plots of land across board.

“This is to ensure that a piece of land is surely mapped out for the school demonstration farm in each school,” he said. (NAN)

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