I LEARN, I GROW, I EAT

CCNTV6

The Ministry of Education’s, 'I learn, I grow, I eat' school competition culminated in an awards ceremony on Monday afternoon.  More than 50 primary schools participated in growing their own kitchen gardens and about a dozen were recognized for the products grown and business ideas created.  Reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh tells us more.

Transcript

00:00 Earlier this year, primary schools across the country were encouraged to participate

00:05 in a "Grow Your Own Kitchen Garden" competition, a Ministry of Education agriculture initiative

00:11 aimed at encouraging the growth of food and the promotion of entrepreneurship amongst

00:15 primary school pupils.

00:18 On Monday, the 12 top schools in various categories were rewarded with trophies, grow boxes and

00:23 other prizes at the Nutrien Trinidad Farm in Cuva, Nutrien being the sole corporate sponsor

00:30 of the event.

00:31 "We want to encourage more schools as we go on to come on board and enter these competitions,

00:38 giving a rich learning environment for our children, much like the soil that you have

00:44 to fertilize and plough and mulch to get the product that you want."

00:51 But the competition is just a sweetener to the real goal of this project, according to

00:55 the Minister.

00:56 She says as of this academic year, it's become mandatory for schools to grow kitchen gardens

01:02 and present the possibility of agriculture as a future to students across all communities.

01:08 "So if we consider the issue of food security, which is critical, then we must understand

01:18 the importance of our young people accepting agriculture as a viable career choice and

01:26 not only a career choice, but also as a way of living."

01:30 Minister Gatsby-Dolley says there are many benefits to educating young people about growing

01:35 and eating their own foods.

01:37 "If we are considering food security and if we want our young people to consider careers

01:43 in agriculture and if we want them to grow their food even if they're not into agriculture

01:49 and if we want them to eat more healthily to bring down the non-communicable diseases

01:55 and to reduce our health care bills, then we have to give them the opportunity to grow

02:03 their food, to understand what that means."

02:07 Among the winning schools of the iLearn, iGrow, iEat competition were the Siparia Hindu S

02:13 DMS Primary, San Fernando Methodist Primary, Sangre Grandi Hindu School, Rio Claro Hindu

02:20 S DMS Primary School, Point Kumana Government Primary School, Exchange RSC Primary School,

02:27 Arepo RSC Primary School and the Piparo Presbyterian Primary School.

02:34 Cindy Raghubar-Chikasingh, TV6 News.

02:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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