The
acting Regional Education Director for Region 3 has underscored the need for
communities and schools in the region to establish school farms to supplement
school feeding programme.
Paul
K. Mendy was speaking recently at Jokadou Tambana in the North Bank Region,
during the ploughing of a 3ha rice farm by the community in response to the
attainment of homegrown school feeding program.
He
said the participation of the community in such an endeavor clearly
demonstrates commitment in taking the lead to complement WFP School Feeding
Program.
Community
participation to spearhead the attainment of homegrown school feeding program
is in conformity with the vision of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary
Education and the World Food Program, of promoting the concept of complementing
school feeding program.
The
establishment of rice farms for the 2016/17 farming season for schools, signals
the community’s willingness to take over school feeding in the long run, the
Regional education director said.
Mr
Mendy thanked the community, the mother club of Tambana and St. George School
of Tambana for their foresight and called on other communities and schools to
emulate them.
He
disclosed that the participation of communities would obviously contribute to
Homegrown School Feeding, noting that there was food supply for the third term
of 2016 academic year.
Director
Mendy commended the leadership of Njawara Agricultural Training Centre for
providing 50kilos of climate resilience rice variety to enhance food production
and productivity.
He
used the occasion to thank the Governor of the region, Lamin Queen Jammeh, for
providing them with tractor to plough the 3ha rice farm for the school.
While
calling on schools and local authorities to help popularize the concept and
assist schools with needed resources, Mr Mendy also launched an appeal to the
Department of Agriculture to support them with fertilizer.
