By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has unveiled a new school farming initiative tagged “Grow What You Eat” aimed at promoting agricultural education, food security, and youth empowerment across Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Iyela Ajayi, inaugurated the initiative on Thursday with the symbolic presentation of a N300,000 cheque to Government Secondary School (GSS) Dutse to commence activities under the programme.
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Ajayi said the initiative would be implemented in 20 selected senior secondary schools across the six geopolitical zones and the FCT.
He outlined the programme as a strategic move to reposition senior secondary education by reintroducing school farming as a cornerstone of practical learning and entrepreneurial development.
“We must bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. This initiative is our bold step in that direction. Grow What You Eat is not just a school project, it is a national intervention.
“It seeks to transform school farms into hubs of agricultural learning, enterprise development, and community service,” he said.
Ajayi emphasised that the project is designed to instil values such as discipline, responsibility, and resilience in students while equipping them with practical agricultural skills.
“This is not just about growing food. It is about growing futures. We want to raise a generation that is literate, productive, self-reliant, and solution-oriented,” he added.
He explained that the beneficiary schools were nominated by state Commissioners for Education, and state desk officers had already been trained through a strategic implementation workshop.
“We have developed detailed implementation guidelines, provided modest seed grants, and designed a monitoring framework to track and evaluate progress,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, commended the initiative for promoting self-reliance and innovation among students.
Represented by Mr Kehinde Osinaike, Deputy Director of Vocational Education in the ministry, the minister said the initiative would not only enhance food and nutrition security but also combat youth unemployment and revitalise the agricultural sector.
“It is about reconnecting our students to the land and showing them that agriculture is not a punishment but a pathway to prosperity.
“Today’s event marks the beginning of a new era, where school farming is repositioned as a tool for experiential learning, economic empowerment, and sustainable development, ” she said.
She urged participating schools, teachers, and state education authorities to take full ownership of the project and ensure its success.
Earlier, the Director of Teacher Development and International Partnership (TDIP) at NSSEC, Mr Mohammed Salihu, said the initiative aligns with the commission’s mandate to make secondary education more responsive, inclusive, and skills-based.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this initiative is that it is student-centred and community-driven. Students are not just beneficiaries, they are the actors and innovators,” he said.
He noted that while initial seed funding has been provided, the commission has plans to scale up the programme to cover all senior secondary schools nationwide.
“We believe that when teachers are empowered and students are inspired, the outcomes will transcend classrooms and transform entire communities,” Salihu added. (NAN)
