Northern College of Science and Technology’s Big wins Best JHS in Pratical Agriculture at National Farmers’ Day 

The Northern College of Science and Technology in Yendi has won the title of National Best Junior High School in Practical Agriculture at the 41st National Farmers' Day celebration held on 5 December 2025 at the Ho Sports Stadium.

As part of the prize, the school received a brand-new 12-unit classroom block built by GETFund, a new minibus donated by Best Agro, plus a tricycle, a thresher, sprayers from K Bedu, agrochemicals, five cutlasses, Wellington boots and assorted farming chemicals.

The package is expected to significantly boost learning and farm operations as the school continues to scale its agricultural activities.

This latest recognition builds on a track record of excellence. In 2023 the school was named the Best Educational Institution in Agriculture during the Yendi Municipal Farmers’ Day for its robust fish farming activities involving tilapia and catfish, alongside livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, guinea fowls and turkeys. The school also excelled in crop production, cultivating rice, maize and vegetables. That same year, it posted 45 distinctions in the Basic Education Certificate Examination, making it the top Junior High School in the Northern Region.

According to the school’s founder, Nathaniel Adams, the integration of agriculture into daily school life is deliberate. Since the school’s inception in 2013, farming has helped subsidise operational costs and ensured food security for students. Students participate in every stage of the farming process, including planting, harvesting, feeding livestock and maintaining fish ponds. Local authorities and education stakeholders have previously urged other schools to emulate this self-sustaining model.

Government planners have also announced a national programme to integrate agriculture into schools. Under the School Farms Initiative of the Feed Ghana Programme, over 700 Senior High Schools are expected to run farms to grow major crops, raise livestock and reduce feeding costs. The policy aims to build agribusiness skills among students, enhance food security, provide inputs such as seeds and fertiliser, and transform schools into hubs of agricultural production and youth agripreneurship. This aligns with what Northern College is already practicing and positions the school as a model for nationwide adoption.

In 2024, the school received keen national attention when former President John Dramani Mahama visited its farms and commended the students for their commitment to hands-on agricultural learning. He later pledged support to expand school-based farming nationwide. Alumni of the school are currently pursuing careers in medicine, engineering and other science fields due to the strong academic foundation the school provides alongside its agricultural training.

With new infrastructure and equipment secured from the Farmers’ Day award, the Northern College of Science and Technology is better positioned to deepen its mission of combining science-driven learning with practical agriculture and entrepreneurship. This victory stands not only as recognition of excellence, but as a validation of an education model that feeds students, reduces schooling costs, and prepares young people for the future.