Over 40 students of the Sacred Heart Preschool in Roseau have participated in a programme which aims to teach the importance of agriculture.
The Junior Achievement (JA) Dominica, ‘Let’s Plant a Garden’ session was held earlier this week.
This initiative forms part of JA Dominica programmes which are expected to kick off at various Preschools, primary schools and Secondary schools on the island.
Projects Officer with Junior Achievement (JA) Dominica, Rhanda Alexander said the aim of the projects is to educate students on the importance of agriculture.
“It’s for the students to get a better idea of planting, where food comes from, working in teams, how important agriculture and having your own farm is, in saving money, because we know right now agriculture is one of the important things in Dominica,” she said. “Starting young, from early as Preschool, Kindergarten for the students to realise that planting, farming and agriculture is important.”
She stated further that the students were able to do a theory part of the ‘Let’s Plant a Garden Session’ followed by a practical part, “where the students got to plant their own little gardens with their cups, tissue paper and red beans.”
“They now have to go home and take care of these little plants or their seeds and bring it back to their school for their teachers to see,” Alexander noted. “We got them to do sticker sheets where they planted gardens with stickers…”
She described the initiative as a “good” one and called on other partners to come on board to support the schools.
“The high schools we have the Economics for Success Programme and with our Primary Schools we have the ‘Our Nation Programme,'”she explained.
Partner for the initiative is Millennium Freight Services of Millennium Ventures Inc.
The concept of teaching these children at an early age the importance of agriculture is to be commended.However,it needs so much more than that to get the sector up and running on a sustainable basis.Before the Labour party killed agriculture and it’s importance in Dominica, these children would live it,breath it,feel it,see it everyday in their lives.They would know it’s importance because they would be a part of it.Right now it’s only a concept which is far fetched and foreign to them.Oh how far we have fallen under Skerritt who has failed us.
Many, many thanks for this initiative. For too many years, we taught our children that agriculture was dirty work and so many farmer owners did not want their children working in agriculture. It was time we taught our youth how important it is to our survival. Awesome stuff!!!
They don’t have too much of a choice do they? They range of the different types of jobs in this poverty stricken island is not very wide. Is either you work for the government or you do farming. People with private jobs like the construction men are struggling these days and with no construction the plumbers and electricians are suffering too. See the ripple effect? When there are jobs in those fields, Skeritt selects his RED unqualified people to give the work to while the rest of us who are qualified are left to beg. How sad!!! Very sad indeed!!! Unknowingly to these innocent kids they are being secretly groomed for office under the hot sun because their leader cannot and will not be able to provide suitable jobs that is respectful and fitting of a human being for them. But I’m sure on a different day they will tell those same kids to be all that you can be and the sky is the limit
Congratulations, for our survival thats where we have to start. Teach the children at a very early age. Please continue this programme do not stop there.