School to roll out agriculture projects on potatoes

TAMBUL Secondary School in Tambul-Nebilyer, Western Highlands will be the first secondary school in the province to roll out agriculture projects, mostly focusing on potatoes, initiated by Governor Paias Wingti.
The provincial government presented a tractor and other equipment and material to the school on Tuesday to prepare the land for planting.
The tractor and equipment is worth more than K200,000 and will be used exclusively for the pilot project.
Lower Kagul local level government president Mek Kerowa said K50,000 had been set aside for fuel and once work at the school was completed, the equipment would be sent to other high and secondary schools for similar projects.
He called on locals living near schools to help where they could in the projects by allowing their land to be used and in the up-keep of the project and would be given a portion of the harvest.
“Schools with unused land available are fortunate to go into potato farming, it is the provincial government’s initiative and will be responsible to assist with full resources,” he said.
Tambul Secondary principal Paul Kereme said agriculture projects were vital for rural schools and were a meaningful activity for students to take part in outside the classroom.
“Schools in the country have been emphasising on the importance of agriculture and the initiative will give the students a combination of classroom instruction and applied agriculture experiences outside the classroom and build the foundation for educated consumers and agriculturalists,” he said.
Kereme said over the years, the majority of the students that did not secure spaces at tertiary institutions returned to their villages and giving them a focus on agriculture would see them take up farming as a worthwhile activity.

The tractor presented by the Western Highlands government to
Tambul Secondary School on Tuesday for the roll-out of the agriculture
project initiated by Governor Paias Wingti.