The Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Antique will be putting up a farm school in San Remigio town’s upland Barangay Aningalan, considered the “Little Baguio” of the province.
Dr. Gaudencio Reigo, DepEd Antique chief of the curriculum implementation, said in an interview on Friday this is in support of the launch of the regional farm school curriculum by their department last March 17.
“We are now in the process of working to make the Aningalan Elementary School become an integrated school so that the secondary students enrolled could be taught the farm school curriculum,” he said.
He said they chose the public school in Aningalan to be the site for the implementation of the farm school curriculum for Antique because of its potential as an agri-tourism area.
“The students will be taught how to plant strawberries and other high-value crops as part of the curriculum,” Reigo said.
He added that strawberries and other high-value crops such as lettuce are growing abundantly in the barangay due to cold weather.
“The students aside from being taught on how to plant the strawberries and other high values crops will also learn the concept of entrepreneurship,” Reigo said.
Students will be taught how to market their produce for their eventual livelihood considering also that Aningalan has now a booming tourism industry.
Aningalan earned the name “Little Baguio” due to its beautiful mountain scenery, cold climate, strawberries, and high-value crops like cabbage, lettuce, and radish.
“The school will also serve as a site for immersion of other students and tourists interested to learn about agriculture,” he said.
The DepEd Division of Antique is supportive of the new curriculum because it could provide the students with life skills.
“We hope to implement the farm school curriculum by the next school year,” Reigo said.
The DepEd official said the local government unit of San Remigio headed by Mayor Margarito Mission Jr. is very optimistic that the new curriculum could help the students.
“The LGU will initially be establishing makeshift classrooms needed by the Aningalan Elementary School to become an integrated school by next school year,” he said. (PNA)
