Gulu School introduces ‘Farm-to-Learn’ initiative to support financially challenged learners

By Allan Richard Odoch

In a groundbreaking initiative, New Hope Nursery and Primary School in Gulu district has secured a tractor to revolutionize the education landscape for financially challenged learners, launching a Farm-to-Learn program aimed at tackling the alarming dropout rate of learners due to financial constraints. Located in Pawel Adek sub-county, the school sits on a sprawling five-hectare land, which was founded in 2018.

The brainchild of the school’s administration, the Farm-to-Learn program is a direct response to the growing concern of expensive education in the region. According to Oyella Magret, the school’s headteacher, the initiative has been designed to provide a unique solution to the financial difficulties faced by many learners.

“We’ve witnessed far too many learners dropping out of school due to financial difficulties,” Oyella Magret lamented. “To address this, we’ve devised a unique program where parents can work on our school farms, and in return, their children will receive quality education funded by the farm’s proceeds.”

“The school has over 40 hectares of land and this approach has been very functional for the past one year. Indeed, we have drawn parents closer to the school,” she added

The innovative program not only benefits the learners but also provides the school with a sustainable source of food. The farm’s produce will cater to the school’s nutritional needs, ensuring that learners receive a well-rounded education.

But the impact of the tractor doesn’t stop at the school gates. Ekanya James, the school’s director, emphasized that the tractor will also be made available to the community at an affordable hire rate. The proceeds generated will be channeled towards maintenance and safety, ensuring the tractor remains a valuable resource for years to come.

“We are empowering financially challenged learners and supporting the local community as we pave way for a brighter, more sustainable future for learners in remote areas,”Ekanya said

He added that the tractor will also be for learning purposes to older learners at the school, “we will provide basic skills in tractor operations and management to grown up learners, especially those ones in P.7. You never know, they might use the skills to earn during holidays”

One parent who has witnessed the positive impact of the program firsthand is Yulda Andrew Duku, a refugee from Bidibidi refugee settlement in Yumbe district. Duku has four learners at the school, all of whom are benefiting from the Farm-to-Learn program.

He said he learned about the school and its program from a friend who referred him to take his children there for a secure education. “Since the program started, I’ve seen a significant improvement in my children’s grades. They’re more focused and motivated, and I think it’s because the school has seen the direct connection between my children’s education and our family’s well-being,” Duku said.