Enrollment into agricultural colleges in Ghana has dwindled and the interest in agriculture among students has also gone down.
That’s according to experts on agriculture at the University of Cape Coast.
The agricultural experts say a more concerted effort to inculcate in school children the importance of agriculture is needed to make government’s flagship programs on agriculture more meaningful.
The agriculture scientists are blaming the waning interest on the demonisation of discipline at the country’s schools, especially at the formative years of their education.
The experts revealed this at the launch of the homecoming of graduates of the School of Agriculture at the University of Cape Coast.
The agric scientist, however, have lauded government’s numerous initiatives as a great move that should arouse the consciousness of the country to see agriculture as a viable tool for economic and social development.
Dean of the school of agric, Prof. Elvis Asare Bediako, wants the perception that has been created in the minds of young people especially students about agric to change.
The negative perception, according to him, is seriously affecting the enrolment of students into the schools and colleges of agriculture in the entire country.
“Our enrolments have been declining over the years. At the University of Cape Coast and other schools and colleges, I have consulted. This is not good for the country. Agric used to be studied as a subject on its own at the basic and Senior High Schools but now it is no longer the case.
"Our children are losing interest in agriculture. This is not good for the development of agriculture in the country,” he said.
Professor Asare Bediako also called for some stringent effort to revive the interest of students in Agric to serve as a catalyst for the development of agriculture. He’s more convinced that government’s flagship policies on agriculture will be more meaningful if such issues are addressed.
“We need to reverse the downward trend. We cannot forsake agric as a nation. Our development as a nation would be hugely affected if we do not address this growing phenomenon,” he ended
Chairman of the Past Students of the School of Agriculture and a senior agric scientist at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Daniel Okai Anti, says the University hopes to form a formidable group to influence government’s policies on agric to improve a lot of Ghanaians.
“Agricolae (the name of past students of agric) has a great part to play in all of these. They need to be the ambassadors wherever they are to help revive the interest of people in Agric.
"We are here to form a formidable force to influence government’s policies on agric and make agric a viable tool for our country’s development,” he assured.
Director Academic affairs at the University of Cape Coast, Jeff Teye Onyame, assured the school of agric of the University’s support in making the Association relevant in the national discourse.
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