Minister of TEATT Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher (sitting) and her chief of staff, Cecil Nicholas (third from right) surrounded by representatives of the participating schools displaying their signed MOU.
PHILIPSBURG--On Thursday seven primary schools signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the school gardening programme hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT).
The ministry said in a press release on Thursday that by this gesture the organisation intends to bring about the awareness of health benefits in agriculture and by extension, gardening.
“What better way to accomplish this than by starting with our youngsters through the primary schools,” the ministry said. “School gardens are a great way to get children to learn about the many benefits of agriculture.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations encourages and supports countries to promote school gardens with educational goals to help pupils, school staff and families make the connection between growing food and good diets, develop life skills and increase environmental awareness, the release said.
School gardens are a wonderful way to use the schoolyard as a classroom, reconnect students with the natural world and the true source of their food, and teach them valuable gardening and agricultural concepts and skills that integrate with several subjects, such as maths, science, art, health and physical education, and are part of governments around the world providing food security for their people.
School gardening has been in existence on St. Maarten for some time, the release said. However, with the passing of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 most gardens were severely damaged.
“It is against this backdrop that the Ministry of TEATT is considering providing support and financial assistance to schools in the coming year for the rebuilding of the school gardening programme, in line with promoting economic opportunities and sustainability,” the ministry said.
Minister of TEATT, Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher encourages pupils to apply the “Grow what you eat and eat what you grow” concept to promote a better and healthier eating lifestyle, the release said.
The seven participating schools are the Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School, Oranje Primary School, Sister Magda Primary School, Helmich Snijders Hillside Christian School, Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) Primary School – Browlia F. Maillard Campus, St. Maarten Seventh-Day Adventist School and MAC Primary School – Reverend John A. Gumbs Campus.
