Let’s reintroduce agric science in Ghanaian schools — GARDJA

The president of Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists Association (GARDJA), Richmond Frimpong has called for the reintroduction of Agricultural Science in Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions as a means of encouraging the youth to go into farming.

He said the scrapping of the subject from the educational curriculum has led to ‘depleted love for agric in the youth’.

According to him, it is unthinkable for a country like Ghana which cannot boast of all-year-round food production coupled with high unemployment to discourage the study of Agric Science in schools while time is still spent studying Social Studies.

“Which of these two can solve the high unemployment we are fighting in this country. With Agriculture, we will not only employ many youth, but we shall also get a lot of food to feed the country, so why are they not letting our students study it in the schools,” he asked this journalist.

Mr. Frimpong suggested that it could be made a core subject in the curriculum to enable every student have an idea about farming.

He lamented that schools which were known to be offering Agricultural science as part of their courses have dropped it due to low number of students patronizing it.

This, he questions how the country can have literate farmers in future to adapt to the scientific developments in the sector.

He noted that in order for the youth of today not to see farming as a form of punishment, successive governments must remake it a compulsory subject like Social studies with several awards channeled there to motivate students.

“Our economy is an agrarian economy yet I am always amazed that the engine to the growth of the economy is not being prioritized and always seem neglected,” he stated passionately.

Mr. Frimpong who is a journalist and rice farmer added that Ghana stands to benefit a lot in future if office workers are trained to have farms, “even if it is a backyard farm.”

Again, he suggested that agriculture must be embedded in Ghana beyond aid agenda of the current administration "so that the country can have more serious agriculturist to drive the agricultural sector."