In a bid to promote food security and practical education in schools, the Director General of Schools and Education Reform in Niger State, Maimuna Mohammed, has flagged off a pilot farming initiative at Maryam Babangida Science Girls Secondary School.
The initiative, which involves land clearing and planned cultivation of beans and soya beans on school grounds, is designed to integrate agriculture into the learning and feeding systems of boarding schools across the state.
“This is more than a farming programme. It’s a transformative educational approach that equips our students with real-life skills while addressing food supply issues in schools,” said Maimuna during an inspection of the land clearing process. She also commended Niger Food for providing technical and logistical support.
The project is part of broader reforms led by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, who has championed practical learning, self-reliance, and student welfare.
According to Dr. Hadiza, “Students gain hands-on experience, schools improve food supply, and we nurture a productive, self-reliant generation. This is just the beginning.”
Maryam Babangida School is the pilot site for the programme, with plans to replicate the model in other boarding schools statewide. Stakeholders say the initiative could become a blueprint for integrating agriculture into education and tackling food challenges in Nigerian schools.
