Monrovia — A Lecturer at the University of Liberia, Mr. Zayzay Sillah says, he's rallying support for the Ministry of Education to authorize the inclusion of agricultural science in the high school's curriculum.
Mr. Sillah says, if the program is endorsed, Liberia would emulate some of its sub-regional neighbours who have been implementing the program in high schools.
Said, Mr. Sillah, "I have conducted a research in the West African sub-region and I come to realize that Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia, all of these countries, they do agriculture science as subject in high schools and they administered it as syllabus in West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), but Liberia only focus on the full nine subjects which the students write in WASSCE.
According to him, if Liberia would genuinely improve in food production, eliminate poverty, end hunger, there is a need for educational stakeholders to start from the rudimentary process of it, thereby teaching agricultural science to students in high school in order to create interest for the subject before graduation.
Liberia, despite being blessed with abundant fertile land and rainfall that are crucial to productivity in the agriculture sector to spur economic growth and job creation, is below par in agricultural activities. The country hugely dependent on other countries for its stable food.
Mr. Sillah explained that he has met with some educational stakeholders within the sector, who bought the idea for agricultural science to be taught in high school, and subsequently be administered by the West African Examination Council (WACE).
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He further explained that he has plan to meet both the House and Senate committees on education to explain to them the importance of the program and how it could be a catalyst to achieving Goal 1 and 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which talked about ending hunger and reduce poverty.
"This in my mind will help improve food production, help to alleviate poverty, help end hunger. That will also serve as means of financial strength of some of these students because I am of the conviction that these students that will learn agricultural science in high school after high school most of them will either invest in agriculture. Besides that, we should also help to make agriculture lucrative in Liberia," he explained.
Adding, "In Liberia, my drive and intention is toward agriculture and not only taking it from the textual aspect but to take it from the rudimentary aspect by making our students know the significance of agriculture."
He promised to offer two and a half acres of his private land to the first schools that will introduce agriculture-science to be used for practical.
"WASSCE is mainly focused on the practical and theoretical aspects, so I am going lobby some of my colleagues to make allocation. If we want the student to do practical, you need equipment. So I am going to talk to some of my friends that Liberian students need equipment to improve the agriculture sector of our country. So we are definitely selling the idea for people to buy, he said.
