The Ministry of Education says it will take delivery of 600 bags of maize from the National Service Scheme (NSS) for the feeding of the Senior High School (SHS) students.
The stock of maize is being supplied as part of the maiden harvest from the NSS farms under the Sekyere-Kumawu Economic Enclave Project (SKEEP).
Announcing this during a tour of the SKEEP sites, the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, noted that the collaboration between both institutions would help create a ready market for the project.
The Minister for Education announced this when he led a team from the Ministry to tour the SKEEP sites and to have first-hand information and acquaint themselves with the project.
Good leadership
The Minister commended the management of NSS for the great strides as well as good leadership in utilising NSS personnel to boost food production in the country.
Dr. Yaw Adutwum said NSS had shown the way for President Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s agenda of Planting for Food and Jobs that would create an opportunity for the commencement of school farms which was in line with what the NSS was doing.
As part of his commitment to the project, he indicated that his outfit would also arrange for tertiary students to use the SKEEP as a learning avenue for their practical lessons to promote effective management of teaching and learning so that they could master whatever they were taught at school.
According to him, the SKEEP initiative was not just for the training of graduates to become professional farmers but also to help in the production of food for the Free SHS programme and school feeding at the basic level.
To this end, he recommended the establishment of an Agricultural town, that is, hostels for service personnel, apartments for workers as well as lecturers, a basic school, clinic, lecture hall or training hall, and technology centre around the SKEEP enclave so that the farmers and other staff would have all the needed facilities as they continue working on their farms.
Mr Osei -Assibey pledged to collaborate with all stakeholders to put in place the right measures that could promote the growth and development of the country.
The Executive Director of NSS lauded the government for his support through the Ghana Cares programme, which would go a long way towards enhancing the SKEEP initiative.
Whilst congratulating the Minister for Education and his team for the visit, he also commended the Minister of Food and Agriculture for embracing the project.
