A garden in every school
Kebun Didik Komuniti SPS (“community learning garden, Seberang Perai Selatan”) set out to turn unused corners of school grounds into productive organic gardens. The programme began at the community garden of Masjid al-Rasyidin, but because travel was difficult for the schools, the team took the training to them, building each garden on site with the students who would look after it.
How each garden was built
Every school started with a talk on organic farming, a site visit and a gotong-royong to clear the ground. Students then worked in four teams: building planting beds, putting up trellises and stakes, preparing soil and planting, and raising seedlings. Each session ended with lessons on caring for seedlings, controlling pests without chemicals and making organic fertiliser.
Who took part
Between February and June 2025, 268 students, teachers and education officers took part across eight schools and centres:
- SMK Sungai Acheh: Form 4 agriculture-stream students and the special education (PPKI) class
- SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman: Form 4 students
- Persatuan Kebajikan Kanak-kanak Istimewa Seberang Perai Selatan (PERKIS)
- SK Sungai Kechil: the environmental club
- SMK Saujana Indah and SK Saujana Indah
- Tadika Cahayaku Legasi: 34 preschoolers, with simplified planting and watering routines
- Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan, whose officers helped choose schools and support the gardens
What it achieved
- Working gardens that serve as outdoor classrooms for organic farming.
- Gardening that includes everyone: special needs students, preschoolers, agriculture students and students less drawn to academic subjects.
- SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman and PERKIS committed to weekly gardening classes, with the project lead visiting every Thursday.
- Harvests used for school meals and sold to teachers, parents and neighbours, giving students a first taste of running a small enterprise.
What comes next
The schools plan to make gardening part of their co-curricular activities and to exchange seedlings and know-how with each other, with the project lead continuing to supply advice, seedlings and soil.
