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By Abdullahi Ahmed
The Federal Government in partnership with the Kwara State Government has distributed 14,180 economic tree seedlings to 255 schools across the sixteen local government areas of the state.
Speaking at the launch in Ilorin, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Mrs. Mary Arinde, said the project will have both educational and economic benefits for schools.
According to the Commissioner, the beneficiaries include 80 primary schools, 170 secondary schools, and five tertiary institutions, which will receive cocoa, cashew, oil palm, and orange seedlings.
Mrs. Arinde explained that the orchards will serve as practical learning sites for students and research centers for higher institutions, while also providing long-term revenue opportunities for schools to expand into ventures such as animal husbandry and fisheries.
She tasked education agencies including SUBEB, the Teaching Service Commission, and the Ministry of Tertiary Education with ensuring proper monitoring and accountability.
Also, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, stressed the need to preserve the trees to protect the learning environment.
He disclosed that the Ministry will set up a monitoring committee to inspect schools and ensure the trees are nurtured and sustained.
