SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Antique has expressed hope that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would support the farm school in the province and other parts of the country as these serve as good training grounds for the new breed of farmers.

DepEd-Antique Superintendent Felisa Beriong, in extending her congratulations to the new President, said she was elated to know that he expressed his intention to temporarily head the Department of Agriculture (DA).

"With Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio as our DepEd Secretary and President Marcos to head DA, we could really look forward to more support to the farm schools," Beriong said.

Antique has a farm school in Barangay Aningalan, San Remigio but there are plans to also open farm schools in other municipalities.

The Aningalan Integrated Farm School, which opened on Sept. 13, 2021, has 35 learners in Grade 7.

Learners, mostly children of farmers in the upland barangays, are being taught how to cultivate rice and other crops, as well as entrepreneurship to be able to market their products.

"Since the farm school is just newly opened, there is still a need to further develop the curriculum and for the learners to be able to personally use various farming equipment," Beriong said.

Learners will also be taught new farming technologies and how to cultivate organic high-value crops, which are in demand in the market.

"It is important that the learners will be taught farming skills that they could apply right in their own family farms or that could provide them with a profitable livelihood so they could really appreciate farming," she added. (PNA)