The Lagos State government on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022, commissioned five poultry pens, under the Lagos State Agriculture Education Programme, LASAEP, in public primary schools.
The commissioning took place simultaneously at five primary schools: Obele Primary School, Itire; Community Primary School II, Egan, Alimosho; Roman Catholic Primary School, Ipakodo; and Methodist Primary School, Gberigbe.
The construction of the poultry pens in the schools is aimed at inculcating farming into the young ones.
LASAEP is a programme approved by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, to compliment the efforts of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, in revamping agricultural education.
Six schools benefitted from the construction of the pens with the supply of birds as encapsulated under the mantra “catch them young.”
While five pens have been completed and commissioned, the poultry pen at Christ Central Primary School, Mushin is still under construction.
In his remarks at Obele Primary School, Itire, Surulere, the Executive Chairman of the Lagos Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, 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.
He 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.
Alawiye-King said,“I encourage the learners to take full advantage of this programme and build lifelong skills, that will be useful to them in the nearest future. I also urge the school manager and teachers to see to it that the pen is well utilized and supervised.”
Poultry Pen Consultant, Mr. Abidemi Iwajomo, testified that the positive interest showed by the pupils has projected a greener pasture in farming, even as he urged 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.
