A REPORT we carry today on pages two and three of Soul Living, complete with several pictures, tells of an initiative at Ratu Kadavulevu School — tilapia farming. Going through information available online, the students of RKS are in for some nutritional meals when the tilapia is harvested, as it was recently on Friday July 6. With the technology we now have, the fish which is harvested can be kept for a while meaning the students will be able to enjoy the fruits of the fish pond for some time. And that they can be assured of as some of those who played important roles in the setting up of the tilapia farm/pond have stressed that the fish will not be sold. Its sole purpose is to feed the students. Students who are well fed and healthy should now be able to do much better at whatever they apply their youthful energy to. The article also mentions a prawn farm. When this is harvested, the money from the sale of the prawns, we are told, will be used for the expenses of the tilapia farm or pond(s). We also read about plans to also start dalo and poultry farms. Given the early success of the tilapia farming venture, and even the winning ways of their rugby teams, there is reason to be hopeful that better things are in store for the boys at Delainakaikai. There are also a few lines in the article about an agricultural student saying the experience of a tilapia farm has made learning easier for him. Given that RKS is a place of learning, a tilapia farm which most might only associate with the joys of eating, can be much more than just that — food. It would be easiest to link this thought with students learning agriculture. What they are learning within the four walls of their classroom is being done outside. It is no longer just something confined to books. No longer is it something which the “sage on the stage”, their teacher, talks about and they do their best to grasp its meaning. It has been brought to life right before their eyes. Now pause for a moment and think of the benefits of functioning poultry and dalo farms. These will include hands-on learning for some students, learning the business aspects of such undertakings not forgetting better meals. We are also told in the article that there are 850 boarders at RKS. Surely, not all of them study agriculture. But definitely, all or most of them are students with inquisitive minds. While some of them might see what is before them, view it as just food and not give it a second thought, others will ponder maybe not in the immediate future, about what it takes to have such a scheme up and running. That is something we should all be definitely doing.
