THIRTY-TWO schools from across South Africa have been selected as finalists in the annual National EduPlant School Gardening Competition 2025.
The schools were shortlisted from a total of 300 schools onboarded as EduPlant participants at the start of 2024.
The winners will be announced on Tuesday, 7 October, during an official gala event.
The top three national winners will be announced along with the two top Centres of Excellence schools, which mentored the participating schools in the new cycle. In addition, a winning school will be selected within each province.
EduPlant is South Africa’s premier national school nutrition and food security programme.
Initiated in 1994 and implemented by Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), EduPlant has been supported by Tiger Brands since 2019.
The 300 schools initially onboarded as EduPlant food garden schools in 2024 received extensive training in permaculture practices to assist them in growing their own vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
The produce is harvested and served as part of the schools’ learner feeding programmes.
Any surplus crops are shared by the schools with their surrounding communities. The thirty-two schools shortlisted in the national competition were singled out for the way learners implemented their newfound knowledge to grow a successful garden.
By involving schools in permaculture food gardening, it teaches students important life skills while improving food security, promoting better nutrition, and creating a healthier ecological balance.
Robyn Hills, Head of Programmes at Food & Trees for Africa, commented, “School food gardens are one of the best ways to provide additional meals for students. The extra nutrition from fresh herbs and vegetables significantly improves a student’s ability to concentrate and do better in school.
Each of these schools has shown outstanding dedication to the principles of permaculture and sustainability.
Their permaculture food gardens serve as living classrooms, not only growing plants but also nurturing the minds and hearts of the learners involved.”
In many instances, learners and educators transfer their newly acquired subsistence agriculture skills and knowledge to surrounding community members, who in turn create their own food gardens to meet the nutritional needs of their families and to generate a small income for themselves.
“Tiger Brands is extremely proud of the commitment and dedication displayed by the finalist provincial schools to improve food security amongst learners and their surrounding communities in a sustainable manner.
Through the EduPlant programme, with its focus on building self-sustaining communities, we are not only addressing immediate hunger but helping to restore hope and resilience for the future. This is one of the many ways in which Tiger Brands lives its purpose to nourish and nurture more lives every day,” says Maanda Milubi, Director: Enterprise and Supplier Development & Transformation at Tiger Brands.
Now in its 31st year, the Eduplant programme has helped build thousands of school food gardens and has supplemented the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
Through the programme, FTFA and Tiger Brands have enhanced food security by teaching sustainable farming, promoting environmental literacy to help learners become responsible protectors of their natural surroundings, and strengthening communities as people work together and build a shared sense of purpose.
Finally, the programme inspires life-long learning through Eduplant’s hands-on approach to start, grow and sustain these gardens.
The final 15 winners will be announced on Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at an event taking place at Camp Konka in Rustenburg, North West province.
National Finalist EduPlant Schools:
Gauteng
· Dilopye Pre-Vocational School
· Philip Kushlick Special School
· Molefe Mooke Primary School
· Mohlakeng Public School
Western Cape
· Sonieke High School
· Rouxville Primary School
· Bothas Halt Primary School
Eastern Cape
· Emafini Primary School
· Zandise Primary School
· Jamangile Senior Secondary School
Northern Cape
· Segwaneng Primary School
· Moedi Secondary School
· Simololang Primary School
KwaZulu Natal
· Nobanda Primary School
· Nkabini Primary School
· Kwa Ngubeni Primary School
Limpopo
· Moriting Primary School
· St. Patrick Mathibela Primary School
· Toronto Primary School
· Kobjaname Primary School
Mpumalanga
· Lugedlane Primary School
· Mahushe Agricultural School
· Magashule Primary School
· Morage Primary School
Free State
· Dr MG Mngoma Public School
· Atang Primary School
· Nozala Intermediate School
· Tabola Primary School
North West
· Temoso Special School
· Tigane Primary School
· Alabama Primary School
· Mfihlakalo Special School
