500 students of Government Day Junior Secondary School in Yana, Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State are set to begin the planting and nurturing to maturity of two tree seedlings each.
The nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had in 2019 supported the school to include climate change in the academic curriculum of the school which saw the students establishing a school garden that already has different kinds of trees to curb desertification and preserve the environment.
UNICEF had also supported the initiative by constructing a solar powered borehole to enable the students to continuously water the garden.
Some of the students who spoke to journalists during an activity organized by UNICEF to mark the International Children’s Day that is celebrated every 17th of November, Umar Magaji, a JSS3 student of the school said they have learnt a lot concerning preservation of the environment.
He said they were taken through theory and practical aspects of preserving the environment, especially planting and nurturing trees both in school, at home and within the community.
Apart from nurturing the tree garden in the school which has cashew, guava and other types of trees, Umar said he was able to pass the knowledge to his brothers at home.
Maryam Yusuf, another student in JSS 2, spoke on benefits derived from planting trees within the environment and the need to continuously plant trees.
Earlier, two of the teachers, Auwal Maisalati and Baba Umar had told newsmen that UNICEF support towards inculcating climate change knowledge to children at an early age came to the school in 2019.
They said UNICEF had earlier trained them to prepare them on how to inculcate not only the knowledge but the attitude of preserving the environment.
“We had to mobilise our students to control a part of the community that was threatened by erosion when we noticed the danger.
“We are already set to give two seedlings to each of the 500 students in the school to plant this year and continue to nurture them”, Baba Umar disclosed to newsmen.
To round up the activities, the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF in conjunction with the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) organised a quiz competition on climate change for three secondary schools at Oricon Suites, Azare, Katagum LGA.
The schools that participated in the quiz competition were Government Day Junior Secondary School, Yana, Shira LGA; Government Junior Secondary School, Katagum LGA and Government Junior Secondary School, Anguwan Hadejia, Shira LGA.
