The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB’s) Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP) initiative has produced five poultry pens.
The five poultry pens under the Lagos State Agriculture Education Programme (LASAEP) in public primary schools were commissioned by the state government recently.
The commissioning took place simultaneously at five primary schools, namely: Obele Primary School, Itire; Community Primary School 11 Egan, Alimosho; Roman Catholic Primary School, Ipakodo; and Methodist Primary School, Gberigbe. The construction of the poultry pens in schools is aimed at inculcating farming into young ones.
Wahab Alawiye-King, the executive chairman of LASUBEB in his remarks at the Obele Primary School, Itire-Surulere explained that the UBEC Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP) initiative to 51 schools has been vibrant and attractive to learners in 11 Local Government Education Authorities, with different enterprises such as crop farming, fishery, animal husbandry and poultry.
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Alawiye-King averred that the involvement of pupils in farming will not only contribute to economic development but resuscitate agriculture in the learning environment and also promote agricprenuership in the state.
“I encourage the learners to take full advantage of this programme and build lifelong skills that will be useful to them in the near future. I also urge the school manager and teachers to see to it that the pen is well utilized and supervised,” the executive chairman said.
Abidemi Iwajomo, the poultry pen consultant, testified that the positive interest showed by the pupils has projected a greener pasture in farming, urging the pupils not to rest on their oars in acquiring farming skills, for it is a profession that is contributing majorly to the development of the nation.
The Lagos State Agriculture Education Programme is a programme approved by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the executive governor of Lagos State to complement the efforts of UBEC in revamping agricultural education.
Six schools benefitted from the construction of the pens with the supply of birds encapsulated under the mantra “catch them young”.
While five pens have been completed and being commissioned, the poultry pen at Christ Central Primary School, Mushin LGEA is still under construction.
