Students are set to get a head start in farming at an ambitious nation-leading facility planned for a Hamilton school.
A centre aimed at agricultural science is the centrepiece of a series of developments planned for St Paul’s Collegiate.
The Anglican independent co-ed officially launched a campaign last week aimed at raising the $8 million needed to build four new facilities at the school – a centre of excellence for agricultural science and business, an expansion of its Mary Hornsby music school, the rebuilding of one of its major boarding houses and the expansion of its library into a modern learning hub.
The most significant development is the Ag-Science centre of excellence which is planned to become the centre piece of a national spread of similar institutions.
Headmaster Grant Lander said with an economy so focused on agriculture there was a ‘‘dire need’’ for more students to study agricultural sciences at NCEA level three and the proposal to establish the centre at St Pauls had already drawn substantial interest form agriculture – industry heavyweightsalong with academic backing from Lincoln and Waikato universities.
Landers said last year, just 430 students took agri-science at level 3 NCEA nationally, compared with 600 for Te Reo Maori and 15,000 for statistics.
‘‘There is a dire need for an injection of resources into the agricultural sciences and a development of a sense of relevance among students.
‘‘The aim is to meet the agricultural sector’s need for engaged, well qualified and capable young people and to provide a nation-wide curriculum that will benefit all New Zealand secondary school students.’’ Construction of the centre of excellence is to begin in September with an opening early 2015.
Students have already begun an agrisciences pilot and the aim is to have St Paul’s acting as lead school as the programme is rolled out through at least five other centres nation-wide by 2017, he said.
Waikato University professor of agribusiness and centre advisory board member Dr Jacqueline Rowarth said there was huge opportunity for graduates with agri-business qualifications.
‘‘We have 25,000 graduates nationally but only about 100 in agricultural sciences and another 90 in agribusiness financial management. It’s dismal. The more we can do in schools to show the value of careers in agriculture and the rewards available, the better.’’ The fund raising drive will also target the creation of a new learning hub from the bones of the school’s more than 40-year-old library.
One anonymous donnor has already committed $300,000 towards the learning hub.
