Phase 1 – Inter-School Gardening Adjudication by Brent Simon

March 27, 2025

The much-anticipated inter-school gardening competition hosted by the Ministry of Education Agricultural Science Department in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, officially began its adjudication exercise today, March 27, 2025. The initiative, which promotes agricultural education, sustainability, and hands-on learning/training, has seen enthusiastic participation from initially 26 schools of different levels across the nation.  In 2024, only eleven schools participated.  “Having an increase of 138% is indeed delightful and it shows that the efforts from both ministries are not falling on barren ground” according to Carol-Faye Bynoe-George/Head Communication (Ministry of Agriculture) and Head judge/Inter-school Gardening Competition.

A panel of five judges begun visiting schools to assess their gardening projects based on key criteria such as design and layout, plant health, garden management, and record keeping. Schools are competing for a total score of 50 points and the criteria included other categories evaluating aspects such as visual impact, originality, soil conservation practices, pest control, and financial tracking of garden yields.

Among the participating schools are Ottos Comprehensive School, Mills Academy, Maria Holder Preschool, Green Bay Primary School, Villa Preschool, Adele School, all of which have put effort into developing their gardens. It was observed by the judges that the preschool and primary schools’ gardens were more impressive than those of the secondary schools.  Sadly, both Cedar Grove Primary and Villa Primary dropped out the races, this was very disappointing for the judges because in 2024 these schools showed so much promise.  “Last year both schools were outstanding, it was anticipated that there would be continuity, and it was such a disappointment to us that the decisions to not participate this year were made after such a good start” commented the Bynoe-George.

This initiative is not only a competition but also an avenue to foster agricultural awareness, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurship among students. Through their involvement, students gain practical experience in growing crops, managing resources and tracking productivity- skills that align with national food security and sustainability efforts.

As the competition progresses, anticipation builds for the announcement of the winners, who will be recognized for their excellence in school gardening.