Cheers as Lagos inaugurates catch them young poultry pens in public schools

Alawiye-King inaugurating the poultry project at Obele Primary School, Itire, Surulere.

FOR a pupil of Community Primary School II, Egan, Alimosho, Olufemi Adeniyi, last week would remain indelible in his mind as the state government inaugurated the school’s poultry pen under the Lagos State Agriculture Education Programme (LASAEP). Four other poultry pens were also inaugurated under the programme in four other public primary schools.

Little Adeniyi is fond of buying hatchlings towards Christmas after breaking his piggy bank. During the Christmas, his mother always assists him to sell the full-grown chickens, making a little profit for the boy in the process. Now, with the inauguration of the school’s poultry pen, the boy said he would have the opportunity to learn more about his hobby in a school setting.

The inauguration, apart from the Community Primary School II Egan, also took place simultaneously at four primary schools — Obele Primary School, Itire; Roman Catholic Primary School, Ipakodo; and Methodist Primary School, Gberigbe.

The poultry pens are aimed at inculcating farming into young ones.

LASAEP is a programme approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to complement the efforts of 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”.  The sixth poultry pen at Christ Central Primary School, Mushin LGEA is still under construction.

In his remarks at Obele Primary School, Itire, Surulere, the Executive Chairman LASUBEB, 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 asserted that the involvement of pupils in farming would not only contribute to economic development, but resuscitate agriculture in the learning environment and also promote agricprenuership in the state.

“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 utilised and supervised,” Alawiye-King said.

Also, the poultry pen consultant, Mr. Abidemi  Iwajomo, testified that the positive interest showed by the pupils has projected a greener pasture in farming. He urged the pupils not to rest on their oars in acquiring farming skills, stressing that it is a profession that is contributing majorly to the development of the nation.