Northern College Wins Best JHS in Practical Agriculture
Northern College of Science and Technology in Yendi was crowned the national best junior high school in practical agriculture at the 41st National Farmers Day ceremony on Friday, December 5, at the Ho Sports Stadium.
The honour brought a suite of prizes, including a new twelve‑unit classroom block built by GETFund, a minibus from Best Agro, a tricycle, a grain thresher, sprayers supplied by K Bedu, agro‑chemicals, five cutlasses, Wellington boots and assorted farming tools.
\”We have woven agriculture into the very fabric of daily learning and food production,\” said Nathaniel Adams, founder of the college, in an interview with Joy News.
He explained that students now grow about seventy percent of their own food, cultivating rice, maize, beans and vegetables while managing poultry operations that include quails, ensuring each learner receives at least one egg a day.
The programme also embraces aquaculture and livestock; fish ponds house tilapia and catfish, and the farm rears goats, sheep and cattle, creating a diversified enterprise that offsets school costs and sharpens scientific skills.
The school received the Agricultural Excellence Award for its sustained commitment to agricultural education in the Northern Region, a citation that praised the thriving farm ecosystem and its role in inspiring a new generation of leaders.
During the celebration, the college set up an exhibition of its harvest, showcasing harvested grains, fresh vegetables, live poultry and fish, providing tangible proof of the practical learning model.
President John Dramani Mahama, addressing the ceremony, announced a landmark directive that all secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Ghana must establish school farms, aiming to embed food production into the national curriculum.
\”Every Ghanaian student should understand how food is grown and why it matters to our economy and health,\” the President stated, citing Northern College as a benchmark for the policy.
Adams emphasized that the award crowns thirteen years of relentless effort to blend practical agriculture with academic excellence, noting that the model reduces operating expenses, guarantees nutritional security and nurtures entrepreneurial mindsets.
The recognition signals a tipping point for agricultural education across the country, as the Ministry of Education prepares guidelines for schools to replicate the Yendi model and meet the new farming mandate.
Stakeholders expect the initiative to boost food security, create rural jobs and equip Ghana’s youth with market‑ready skills, positioning the nation’s education system for sustainable growth.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
