By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, Dec 06, GNA – The Northern College of Science and Technology, located in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region, has been adjudged the 2025 National Best Junior High School in Practical Agriculture at the 41st National Farmers’ Day awards ceremony held in Ho in the Volta region.
The award recognised the school’s outstanding commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture and nurturing the next generation of agricultural scientists and farmers.
As part of the awards package, GETFund would construct a 12-unit classroom block for the school while Beft Agro has presented a brand-new mini-bus to the school.
The school also received a 22-horsepower diesel multi-functional tricycle with a thresher, sprayers, cutlasses, knapsack sprayers, wellington boots and other assorted agro-chemicals.
Mr Nathaniel Adams, Founder, Northern College of Science and Technology, expressed satisfaction with the recognition, describing it as a proud moment for the school’s management and students.
He spoke about the College’s agricultural initiatives, saying “We do a lot when it comes to agriculture. We produce about 70 per cent of what we eat in the school.”
He said the school cultivated rice, beans, yam, maize and vegetables, and also ran poultry units for quails and guinea fowls, a livestock section, and a fish farm for tilapia and catfish production.
He said “Farming is our main aspiration, and we do this by directly involving the students.”
Mr Adams said the school’s agricultural model also helped to reduce the cost of education noting that parents from various parts of the region enrolled their wards for its quality and inclusive academic environment.
He indicated that after 13 years of operation, the College now had former students in their final year in medical school, engineering programmes and other science-related courses in universities across the country.
Mr Adams urged parents and guardians to prioritise enrolling their children in the school to enable them develop their potential in science and agriculture and contribute towards addressing the country’s food security challenges.
Meanwhile, during the Regional Farmers’ Day ceremony, held at Kulkpeni in the Yendi Municipality, Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, praised the school for its exceptional commitment to sustainable agriculture.
Presenting a citation, he stated: “This is in recognition of your outstanding commitment to promoting agricultural education, cultivating a thriving school farm with rice, beans, maize, yam, fish, poultry and livestock, which has earned you national honours, inspiring a new generation of leaders and fostering a culture of sustainable agriculture through innovative school farm initiatives.”
He urged other schools to emulate the example of the Northern College of Science and Technology as government continued to implement policies and programmes aimed at making agriculture more lucrative and attractive at all levels.
Miss Farouk Haneeah Saha, a student of the College, expressed her excitement to the Ghana News Agency emphasising the school’s dedication to raising a generation of change-makers in sustainable agriculture.
She said “I’m very proud to be part of the College, and even more excited about the practical knowledge we are receiving. This is a great initiative towards Ghana’s long-term agenda for sustainable agriculture and food security.”
She commended GETFund and other sponsors for their support, saying the support would motivate students to study hard and contribute meaningfully to national development.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Lydia Kukua Asamoah