– competition launched
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), yesterday officially launched the Secondary Schools’ Hydroponics Competition at St. Stanislaus College Association Farm at Sophia Backlands, which aims to promote hydroponics techniques in schools.
Hydroponics is the cultivation of crops in a non-soil medium and the competition will benefit students, as well as the country, since it will promote the science and importance of agriculture, which is an integral contributor to the country’s economy.
In addition, it will allow for a more creative way to teach the students in science and technology so they can be more attracted to agriculture.
More than 700 secondary school students from 41 schools around the country will be participating.
Over the years, the number of schools that participated in the event has increased, with this year having the highest number of participants.
The programme extends to schools as far as Corentyne, East and West Berbice, East and West Bank of Demerara, Essequibo and Linden.
The Linden Foundation Secondary School is the defending champion of the competition.
The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is also supporting the programme and has opened its doors to students to view the various technologies used in the agriculture sector.
Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, who declared the competition open, stated that he is pleased with the expansion of the programme in the schools.
He added that agriculture should be implanted as part of the curriculum in all secondary and primary schools.
Agriculture is also an important part of the Education Ministry’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme and all schools must offer agriculture as one of the subjects in the programme, Minister Baksh emphasised.
He said that there should be an increase in the number of students willing to study sciences in schools and vowed to make school laboratories well equipped and resourced, which will further help to promote science subjects in schools.
Minister Baksh said that a proposal will be submitted to provide incentives and scholarships to teachers who pursue science studies.
In addition, the Ministry will seek to lessen the CXC entry fees for subjects in the sciences.
Director of the NARI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, stated that the Agriculture Ministry has placed emphasis on the competition and collaborated with IICA, which provided technical support.
He noted that a number of commodities can be cultivated using the hydroponics technique.
Dr. Homenauth noted that persons who employ this technique can produce crops for home use as they will be able to save income that would have been spent in the market.
It is also an adaptive measure for climate change and youths can have an opportunity to get acquainted with the technique and maybe later be able to form a business.
Representative of IICA, Ignatius Jean, stated that hydroponics is a good way to mitigate the risks of flood and the effects it has on livelihoods in small communities.
He noted that the former Minister within the Ministry of Education, the late Dr. Desrey Fox, was enthusiastic about introducing the technique in schools and getting youths involved in science and technology.
Prizes will be given to the winners. The first prize will be sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the second prize by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the third by IICA.
Last year, IICA added a special prize to the first prize winner, which was a tour of the centres of excellence in agriculture, such as NARI and the Agriculture Ministry. Jean noted that the new age for agriculture will call for a lot of science, technology and innovations, and requires the efforts of the new generation that will have to take on the responsibility of further enhancing the agriculture sector.
He added that the institute is pleased to collaborate with the Ministries and supports the opportunity to enhance the skills of youths and prepare them for the future as agriculture plays an integral role in the lives of Guyanese. (GINA)