By: Rosalie C. Agapay, Teacher III
Liliw Sub Office, SDO Laguna
Francisco S. Brosas
Along with academic work, the Department of Education has started to incorporate agricultural work into students’ extracurricular activities. With the help of this, the students’ nurturing skills are developed, giving them a practice run for the future.
This falls under the “Gulayan sa Paaralan Program” project, or GPP, a departmental program whose goal is to combat student malnutrition and encourage the production of vegetables and healthful food in schools. But in addition to its goal of lowering the incidence of malnutrition, it also has a number of positive consequences or benefits for children, both inside and outside of the school.
The knowledge of how to properly care for plants is the key benefit. If learners take an agriculture course in college, they won’t have any trouble because they have had the chance to learn about correct planting and the right way to cultivate plants from an early age. As they begin their course, their involvement in the school garden will act as a “training ground.” They won’t battle any more with straightforward procedures for caring for plants, especially vegetables, as a result.
A second positive result is the potential for entrepreneurship. We are aware that business in agriculture can be profitable. With the help of a teacher, a student who invests time and effort in gardening will undoubtedly recognize the value of the agricultural industry. He will witness and experience the labor-intensive process from planning to execution. He will learn here how to effectively promote them as a means to use his expertise.
By the time he’s done, he’ll apply his knowledge to gardening. He can use it as his primary investment to support himself. This demonstrates that the lessons we acquire can be applied to the lives we will have in the future and are not restricted to a brief or finite period of time.
The ability to protect the environment comes in third and last. Aside from promoting self-care, agricultural knowledge promotes preservation of nature. They are accustomed to following the dos and don’ts as responsible students. This is related to the soil not being poisoned by excessive use of chemical fertilizers, careless tree-cutting, or even mineral depletion in a plantation.
They have the ability to avoid doing things that will undoubtedly harm the environment since they are well-informed.
Only a few of the primary benefits or positive outcomes brought about by the practice of veggies in the classroom are discussed. The things that students draw from their experiences are diverse, just like the students themselves. In actuality, there are differences in how people apply what they learn as well. However, they are ultimately equally useful—perhaps not right now, but in the days to come.
