Cultivating the Seeds of Environmental Stewardship in Bauchi North’s Schools
NEWS
In many communities facing rising temperatures, declining soil health, deforestation and changing weather patterns, teaching young people to understand and protect their environment is an investment that can go far in alleviating the issue and last for generations. This is why the Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS), through the ESTRRA Project, is taking environmental education into schools across Bauchi North.
Funded by the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation and Nigerian Breweries PLC, ESTRRA is working to build more resilient communities through sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration. Through its Young Environmental Champions School SBCC Campaign, FSSS is helping students understand the importance of trees and giving them practical responsibility for caring for them.
During the school visits, students learnt why trees matter, how to plant them and what they must do to keep them alive. Each class was also given trees to plant and care for, turning environmental education into a hands-on experience.
For Favour Ayuba, a JSS2 student at Alkali Musa Academy, Azare, the responsibility has already become personal. Her class named their tree Happiness.
“We should always cut the weed, water the trees, apply fertiliser and ensure they’re always protected.”
Her classmate, Saibu Muhammed Liman, understands the wider benefit:
“The trees are very important for our environment because they give us oxygen and they provide shade for us.”
At Government Day School, Bulkachuwa, Goodness Chekwube Onose, an SS1 student, is particularly looking forward to the shade the trees will provide.
“The trees will bring shade to our school because our school is very sunny. It will keep the environment cool and provide oxygen as well.”
The intervention has also been welcomed by teachers, who see an opportunity to connect classroom learning with practical agricultural and environmental education.
Abdullahi Yusuf, an Agricultural Teacher at Abdullahi Memorial School, Azare, said the different economic tree varieties provided to students, including mango, cashew, guava and orange, would strengthen their understanding of agriculture.
“This will help motivate our students and increase their knowledge and development in agriculture.”
At Government Technical College, Gamawa, Principal Abraham Gbenga Oladeji sees an even longer-term opportunity. He believes the trees could eventually provide fruits and generate income for the school, while giving students a lasting connection to something they helped establish.
“Whenever they come back after some years, they’ll begin to say, ‘This is the tree I planted some years back.’”
For FSSS, this is the heart of the campaign. The goal is not simply to plant trees in school compounds, but to nurture a generation that understands why those trees matter and feels responsible for their survival.
As Clinton Mena, Brand and Communications Manager at FSSS, explains:
“We know that lasting change only begins with the next generation. So, we took this message beyond the farms and into the different schools in the project communities.”
The campaign will also support the establishment of Young Environmental Champions Clubs, creating a platform for students to continue promoting environmental stewardship within their schools.
Because the trees planted today will take years to mature, but the values and change they inspire can grow much sooner than later.
