…As Oyemekun, Methodist triumph

By Boluwatife Akinola

The Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, has included Scientific, Critical, and Reflective Thinking in Basic Education as one of the pillars of the Agricultural Education Training Programme (AETP).

The objectives of the AETP are to make agriculture science more practical-oriented and hands-on at the basic education level, provide learners with the requisite skills to stimulate self-employment.

It also aimed at equipping learners with functional entrepreneurship knowledge and lifelong skills, promote the dignity of labor and self-esteem among learners, and expose learners to the biological processes of agriculture.

The quiz and debate competition, supervised by the Ondo State Basic Education Board (SUBEB), began at the local government level with 30 of the best primary schools and 20 of the best junior secondary schools in October, before its final round last week in Akure.

The senatorial stage of the competition was held in the three senatorial districts of the state, before 12 schools were selected from primary and junior secondary schools each for the state finals.

Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, won the junior secondary school category, while St. Monica and African Church Unity Secondary School, Akoko, came second and third, respectively.

 In the primary school category, Methodist Primary School Ese-Odo won, with St. Peter Primary School Bolorunduro and St. Dominic’s Mega Primary School Okitipupa taking second and third positions, respectively.

The winners will represent Ondo State in Abuja for the national stage next year.

The Chairman of SUBEB, Victor Olabimtan, congratulated the winners and encouraged those who did not win to strive for improvement.

He charged the representatives heading to Abuja to bring the trophy back home, as the state governor intends to reward students with scholarships for their victories.

He urged the students and their teachers to intensify coaching efforts in order to triumph in Abuja.

The Director of Academic Services at SUBEB, Chief Adesina Adalumo, emphasized that the program aims to educate students about the significance of agriculture, reframing it as an important subject rather than a punishment when students are taken to the farm.

In his words, the aim of the program is to teach our learners the importance of agriculture because many people have deviated from producing food. That’s why we have a scarcity of food, and students should not see agriculture as punishment whenever they are asked to go to the farm.

“We have many people who have succeeded through agriculture, which is why we have introduced this program,” he said.

 Adalumo stated that the competition and training have assisted schools in the state in implementing agricultural practices within their educational institutions.

 “So far, through UBEC, we have been able to introduce agriculture training to schools; some schools have started rearing fish and owning a fish pond; some schools own poultry; and some own land that they use for cropping.”

 The Director of Quality Assurance of the SUBEB, Mr. Ben Okedusi, noted that the programme aims to educate students about the importance of embracing agriculture to alleviate poverty.

 He urged the students and their teachers to apply what they had learned throughout the programme.