1. Professional Secondary School of Agriculture
Darussalam Village
Awdegle Zone
Lower Shabelle Region
Background
Basically, the livelihood of Darussalam Community is sustained on Subsistence Farming Agriculture.
Main staple crops of the Zone are maize and sesame followed by other cash crops like
pulses(groundnuts, cowpeas, mungbeans) and horticultural crops like banana, plantain, lemon,
grapefruits, coconuts, mangoes, water melon papaya, and moreover, vegetable crops: tomatoes,
onions, carrots, and various leafy vegetables and tuber crops(sweet potatoes).
The community of Darussalam attracted the potentiality and accessibility of their resources(Land and
Water) available in Awdegle Zone, have come a plan to improve their own livelihoods; furthermore,
improve production/unit area of their crops: quality of the product and marketability of the product.
Thus, the idea came towards establishing a Professional Secondary School of Agriculture which
temporarily accommodates students from Intermediate school of Darussalam and other neighbouring
villages of Lower Shabelle region.
The Professional School of Darussalam was established in the year 2004 with the objectives to:
· Create Highly Skilled Agricultural Technicians equipped with modern agricultural techniques in
all disciplines of crop production and animal husbandry,
· Provide Agric Technicians capable working Agricultural Development Projects of Lower
Shabelle/Neighbouring regions,
· Provide trained teachers for the Professional Secondary School of Darussalam,
· Allow certain graduated students from this Professional Secondary School to go higher studies in
Universities for BSc and MSc in different disciplines of Agricultural Science.
· Provide Agricultural Researchers and Extension Agents for the Agricultural Projects of Lower
Shabelle /neighbouring regions.
Initially, the School building was built with materials of the bush products(poles and sticks) and coconut-
palm leaves on the roof –this was the efforts of the Darussalam Community; later on, the school was
rebuilt in bricks/stones with iron sheet roof- this was accomplished financially by the CIDA(CANADA Aid
Agency). In the other hand, the monthly salaries of the school teachers/guard/cleaner and other
expense to run the school were sponsored by the Community of Darussalam. The Secondary School of
Darussalam is a twin Secondary school of Agriculture supported earlier by the WFL in Marka district,
actually denoted as Ayuub Secondary School of Agriculture.
As a matter of fact, recurrent droughts /poor harvest, crop failures caused by adverse effects of the
seasonal weathers, and unreliable gravity irrigation of the River Shabelle have depleted the resources of
the Community of Darussalam. The Community is actually unable to sustain all expenses for the smooth
run of the School. The inevitable calamities affected badly the resources of the Community of
Darussalam; for that reason, the Community is seeking assistance in material and financial support for
the Professional Secondary School of Agriculture.
2. 2. Actual Situation of the School
2.1 Building
Actually the school building comprises four classrooms to accommodate students from form-1 to form-
4; one room office for the school manager and two toilets.
2.2 Students
The numbers of students attending the school from Form-1 to Form-4 are 67 students -of which 49 male
student s and 18 female students. About 55 of the students are from Darussalam and Mubaarak
villages; the remaining are students of neighbouring villages which get boarding and lodging from the
Community of Darussalam.
2.3 Academic Courses of the School
The academic courses of the School are clearly designed to give the attending students in four years a
concise concepts in all disciplines of agricultural sciences, moreover, besides the agricultural sciences of
the courses; students of the school would be able compete other Ordinary Secondary Schools of Lower
Shabelle region. Below Table-A is furnished the academic courses of the Professional Secondary
School of Agriculture:
Table-
A
Form-I Form-2 Form-3 Form-4
Term-1 Courses Courses Courses Courses
Introduction to
Agriculture
Crops Animal
husbandry
Animal
husbandry
Animal husbandry Animal
husbandry
Agric
Engineering
Farm
Implements
Agric Engineering Agric
Engineering
Economics Farm Accounts
Economics Economics English Biology
English English Maths Chemistry
Maths Maths Biology Physics
Biology Biology Chemistry Entomology
Chemistry Chemistry Physics Pathology
Physics Physics Crops Maths
Soil Science
English
Term-2 Crops Crops Animal
husbandry
Animal
husbandry
Animal husbandry Animal
husbandry
Agric
Engineering
Farm
Implements
Agric Engineering Agric
Engineering
Economics Farm Accounts
Economics Economics English Biology
English English Maths Chemistry
Maths Maths Biology Physics
3. Biology Biology Chemistry Entomology
Chemistry Chemistry Physics Pathology
Physics Physics Maths
Soil Science
English
2.4 School Staff
The teaching staff of the School are 8(eight) in number and 4 (four) teacher assistants; of which one
teacher besides being a teaching staff, it will routinely be headmaster of the school; a guard to look after
the school safety and a cleaner of the school.
2.5 Sponsorship
The community of Darussalam was committed to sponsor financially the Scholl from 2004 to present
date; but lack of marketability of the agricultural produce, recurrent floods, crop failures, poor harvest;
adverse seasonal events have exasperated the blight of the community of Darussalam.
The community of Darussalam used to pay the monthly salaries of the teachers, the school guard and
the cleaner of the school. The total monthly expense to run the school is $ 2,500.
3. Innovations
3.1 Assistance
Additional assistance is needed to reorganize following sectors of the school:
· Construction of Library hall and provision of books for the secondary school of
agriculture -that matches best the above academic courses of the school(2.3).
· Construction of Agronomy and Soil lab rooms and essential equipments for Agronomy
and soil labs of Secondary level of Agriculture.
· Provision of school farm and farm machinery equipments/farm machinery workshop
tools.
3.2 Training
The actual Teachers of the school thoroughly need Training on Teaching Methods, update the
Teachers on the Evolving Modern Agricultural Science on crop production, Research and
Extension in all Disciplines of Agricultural Science.
3.3 Computers
Construction of a hall to accommodate number of computers is badly needed. Provision of
Computers to enable students to visit World Wide Scientific Webs and Personal Contacts of e-
mails are required.
3.4 Office Equipment
Office equipments to serve the school students are necessary.
4. 3.5 Sponsorship
The Community is seeking Financial Support for the Teachers/Guard/ Cleaner and other expenses to
run the Professional school.
