In a bid to instill agricultural entrepreneurship in young minds and bolster food security, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has announced plans to reintroduce the student farm ownership system in secondary schools as practiced in the past.
The initiative, reminiscent of the Gindiri compound schools introduced by Christian missionaries in the 1950s, involved allocating portions of land to students for cultivating crops and raising livestock.
The practice was later jettisoned over time.
Speaking during the reunion service of the Gindiri Compound schools in Gindiri, Mangu Local Government Area of the state, Mutfwang, an alumnus of Boys Secondary School, Gindiri, said reintroducing the scheme across all secondary schools in the state would not only encourage students to develop an interest in agriculture but for them to also leverage it as a business venture in future.
The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, stressed that the gesture would also promote food security, noting that his administration would continue to lead in line with the motto of the institution, ‘For Light and Truth’.
He called for prayers and support for governments at all levels as he promised that the government would continue to render services to the people of the state without discrimination.
The President, Church of Christ in Nations and proprietor of the Gindiri Compound schools, Rev Amos Mozo, pledged the prayers and support of the church for the government.
The governor was honoured with a Platinum award, while a former governor and Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, was among other recipients of other categories of awards.
