By Stephen Ekuerarhe
Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), on Tuesday held a one-day sensitisation exercise for stakeholders in public primary and junior secondary schools across the state. The event, which took place in Asaba, was part of the 2024 Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP).
Declaring the event open, the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Hon. Samuel Mariere, stressed the importance of returning to agriculture as a foundation for sustainable development. “We are going back to agriculture,” he said. “We’ve done much in oil, but we neglected agriculture, which was once our major strength. The best way to revive it is to go back to the basics — and that begins with the child.”
Hon. Mariere emphasized the need to instill agricultural values early in learners, referencing past practices in schools where children maintained their own farm beds. “If every child can manage a small farm at home, families won’t need to buy vegetables. That’s the direction we are heading,” he said.
The SUBEB chairman explained that the programme is being implemented in stages. Sixty selected public primary and junior secondary schools across the state are participating in the current phase. As part of the programme, participating schools will receive agricultural tools — including cutlasses, hoes, spades, shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows — as well as planting materials such as cassava stems, plantain suckers, groundnut seeds, and fertilizers.
Mariere also revealed that funds would be disbursed to schools to support land preparation and other farming activities. “After this stage, we’ll take the pupils on educational tours to established farms to expose them to real-life agricultural practices,” he said. “This is not a one-off seminar. It is a continuous programme aimed at long-term impact.”
Highlighting the programme’s progress since its inception in 2019, the chairman noted that a different set of schools benefits each year. “Some of the participating schools have already brought in bags of maize harvested from the inputs we provided,” he said, adding that the programme also includes fish farming.
Accompanied by other Board members, the Permanent Secretary Sir Byron Unini, State Coordinator Mrs. Sharon Dafiluelo, and Director of Academic Services, the SUBEB boss described AETP as a transformative and practical initiative designed to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and hands-on agricultural skills.
He urged participating schools to follow the implementation guidelines strictly to ensure the programme’s success and sustainability across the state.
In her welcome remarks, Director of Academic Services, Mrs. Okpeh Fransisca, emphasized the relevance of agriculture to societal growth. She said the AETP provides learners with opportunities for self-reliance and national development, and reiterated the board’s commitment to expanding the programme annually, with a vision for every school to run its own farm.
The excited participants commended the initiative and pledged their commitment to sustaining school farms and agricultural education across Delta State.