REPUBLIC of SOMALILAND

SECONDARY SCHOOL SYLLABUSES

2007

1

Introduction

CONTENTS

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

AGRICULTURE

BIOLOGY

BUSINESS STUDIES……………………………………………………………………………………….53

CHEMISTRY………………………………………………………………………………………………...71

ENGLISH…………………………………………………………………………………………………….87

GEOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………………………92

HISTORY

MATHEMATICS …………………………………………………………………………………………119

PHYSICS……………………………………………………………………………………………………

SOMALI LANGUAGE……………………….…………...... 153

TEACHING ………………………………………………………………………………………………184.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The Somaliland National Education Policy for Secondary education states:

“Secondary education will aim to:

  • Build on the primary education base the foundation required for advanced, academic, vocational and professional training.
  • Provide broad academic as well as practical and pre-vocationalskills to those selected into secondary schools.
  • Lay special emphasis on mathematics and science to meet the human resource needs ofthe country.
  • Provide each student with the opportunity to achieve the full development of his/her talents by offering options for specializations.
  • Equip students with life skills based on instructions on morals, health education, and HIV / AIDS pandemic, for the development of a socially acceptable character in accordance with Islamic principles.

Policy directions for secondary education

  • Expansion of opportunities for primary school graduates for all groups; boys, girls, pastoralists and the economically needy to benefit from secondary education.
  • Provision of more opportunities to primary school level graduates, including girls and those from hardship areas, to enrol in and complete secondary education.
  • Creation of a gender responsive school environment.

Curriculum in Secondary Schools

To achieve these objectives, the general secondary curriculum will consist of subjects in which the academic and practical are integrated in order to develop problem-solving skills and a range of cognitive abilities. The medium of instruction for all subjects, other than Somali, Arabic and Islamic Studies, will be English.

The curriculum should have the following core subjects; Islamic Studies, Somali, English, Arabic, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Physical Education,

Where possible the following areas will be included at some stage in the curriculum as electives after form 2: ICT, agriculture, business education, art, music, and folklore, environmental and health education. Students can drop some subjects and take elective options.”

The SomalilandSecondary school syllabuses were prepared initially in 2000 in consultation with the secondary school teachers of Somaliland, the Ministry of Education, the Head of Curriculum, and with advice from CfBT under the European Union funded Institutional Support for Secondary Education in Somaliland (ISSES) project.

The first review of the syllabuses then took place in January 2001. Following this review, amendments were made to the curriculum and the Form IV syllabus was developed. Since then a subsequent review of the curriculum occurred in early 2005.

In December 2005 a stakeholders workshop was held evaluating the early 2005 review. Syllabus’ rewriting workshops followed and subsequent amendments to the curriculum were made by the end of 2007.

The syllabuses have now been reviewed and amended to meet the requirements of the Somaliland Ministry of Education National Education Policy and specifically the ‘Education Sector Strategic Plan July 2007-2011’ particularly page 29:

“The Ministry of Education …….take steps towards enhancing quality and relevance of secondary education with a view to ensuring that school leavers possess appropriate skills for national socio-economic development and their own personal development. This includes putting in place measures to ensure greater relevance by incorporating life skills, environment issues, health and HIV/AIDS education in the secondary education curriculum …..that the curriculum is more relevant to labour market needs from 2009.”

The main curriculum changes, agreed in all the workshops, were:

1. For pupils entering form one, there will be an English language bridging course(with emphasis on listening skills) for the first six to eight weeks of the first semester. The majority of form 1 syllabus will be covered in the second semester and final syllabus topics covered in form 2. Schemes of work should be adjusted accordingly.

2. At the end of form 2 pupils will take an exam covering form1 and 2 work. The exam is alsoan exit point for those students who want to leave school and possibly further their studies

3. For pupils entering form three, students will be able to select subjects.

  • Mathematics, English, and Arabic/Islamic Studies will be compulsory.
  • Compulsory subjects should receive 5 lessons per week
  • Pupils can choose to follow the Science course or the Arts course. Those specializing in

Science may take one Art subject or those taking the Arts can choose a science subject.

However, the schools will decide what range of subjects they can offer within their

teaching capacity. The norm will be a divide between those specializing in the social

studies and those specializing in sciences.

  • If the school permits then pupils can choose to take either Agriculture and Business Studies. It is recommended that Agriculture is taken with the science subjects and Business Studies taken by the Arts stream.
  • Agriculture or Business Studies will be offered for examinations in June 2009.

4. In form 3 and 4 pupils will study a minimum of 7 and a recommended maximum of 9 subjects.However any student can take more than the prescribed number of subjects if school resources are available and the choices can fit into the school timetable

5. At the end of form 4, as in the past, there will a school leaving exam covering school work completed from form one to form four. The major change for Mathematics and English, is that all candidates sitboth Core (Paper1) and Extended (Paper 2). For all other subjects candidates will sit only one exam paper.

The above changes were carried out in Somaliland in September/October 2007, and specific changeswill be reflected in the 2009 national examinations

There will be a need for a lead national institution to work with schools and other local actors in the development, delivery and monitoring of the syllabus and curriculum in close association with other Ministry of Education departments, including the Inspectorate, the National Examinations body and agriculture Teacher Training Institutions. The national institution will also liaise with other non-Ministry of Education departments, NGOs and other sector stakeholders in developing the Curriculum and related delivery materials.

Principles of the Syllabus/Curriculum

The main Principles of the curriculum and syllabus development and review when writing a new curriculum should

be continuous and flexible process, responding to changes in government policy and practice and to the changing needs of learners, society and employers.

Be based on the principle that only curricula and delivery systems that comply with strict quality criteria will be accepted.

Be informed by prevailing Ministry of Education and other relevant non-Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Scientific Research governmental policies.

Be responsive to differing local needs and aspirations.

Be the result of carefully evaluated and costed choices within a unified, comprehensive and rational plan.

Promote Peace and Reconciliation and a unified and tolerant national identity.

Promote the role of women in society and the education of girls in school.

Cater for all levels of the ability range from those with learning difficulties to the specially gifted.

Be in line with best local, regional and international practice.

Be consonant with and supportive of governmental strategies for Human Resource Development.

Content of Syllabus

The content of a syllabus/curriculum should

Be determined by rational criteria and not by exclusive reference to previous practices or practices elsewhere in the region.

Be integrated one topic with another, linking one year to another.

Be enjoyable.

Be optimistic and practical in outlook but mindful of the lessons from the past.

Be balanced according to the needs of different parts of the country based on livelihood activities of the communities that the students come from.

Support the acquisition of practical cognitive and psychomotor skills and attitudes within the context of local availability of equipment and resources for teaching and learning

Emphasise ’Learning by Doing’ and Active rather than Passive Learning and the acquisition of Skills, whilst recognising the role of Knowledge, especially for further studies

Be an adequate preparation for Lifelong Learning.

Provide content that encourages girls to develop sense of self-worth and to be ambitious about their role in society and to provide content that encourages teachers and boy and girl pupils to respect these ambitions.

Provide content that links the world of the school to the world of the student’s family and community, both through in-school and out-of-school activities.

Provide differentiated content that allows teachers to tailor individual curricula to local needs and aspirations.

Provide content that encourages students to have a “can do” attitude to life whereby they are optimistic about their ability to control their own lives and to be successful.

Syllabus/Curriculum Content Delivery

The curriculum should be clearly developed and distributed to all teachers for each year indicating aims and desired learning outcomes.

Indications of how the curriculum should be delivered by the teacher will be clearly stated in Teacher Guides for each year.

The number of hours to be allocated to the subject throughout the school day (including specific theory and practice lessons) and the school year should be clearly stated in schemes of work..

Curriculum/syllabus compliant textbooks and supplementary materials should be made available to teachers and pupils.

The training of teachers should ensure a complete understanding of the overall principles of the curriculum and a detailed understanding of syllabus topics.

The delivery of the curriculum in secondary schools will be according to the principles of the democratic and student-centred teaching and learning methods

The evaluation of the curriculum/syllabus should be a continuous process.

Each topic should have elaborate illustration of aims and objectives, learning outcomes, suggested lesson delivery methods, teaching and learning resources and content assessment modes.

Subject Assessment

The syllabus and curriculum should be developed to include expected assessment methods and objectives. The assessment should ideally include, wherever appropriate, personal, social, environmental, economic and technological applications of the subject in modern society.

The three assessment objectives in the subject would be:

Knowledge with understanding

Handling information and solving problems

Practical skills and abilities

Knowledge with Understanding

Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in relation to the use of:

  1. language: terms, symbols, quantities and units;
  2. facts, concepts, principles, patterns, models and theories;
  3. the techniques, procedures and principles of good practice.

Handling Information and Solving Problems

Students should be able, using oral, written, symbolic, graphical and numerical forms of presentation, to:

  1. locate, select, organise and present information from a variety of sources;
  2. translate information from one form to another;
  3. use information to identify patterns, report trends and draw inferences;
  4. present reasoned explanations for phenomena, patterns and relationships;
  5. make predictions and propose hypotheses;
  6. solve problems, including some of a quantitative nature.

Practical skills and abilities

Students should be able to:

  1. use and organise techniques, apparatus and materials;
  2. make and record observations and measurements;
  3. interpret and evaluate experimental observations and data;
  4. plan investigations (and, where appropriate, make predictions and propose hypotheses).

Teaching should include the use of student-centred approaches such as demonstrations, practicals, field visits and cooperative learning among

ohers. The examination should entail school based projects, national examinations

.

1

Agriculture

AGRICULTURE

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture for Secondary Schools is a two year course. It will be taught in the last two years, Form III and Four, of Secondary School education. It is a general course emphasizing mainly on crop and livestock production but also containing the requisite elements of environmental education, agricultural engineering and economics. It will have both theoretical and practical approaches so that learners practise in the field the principles they learn in class.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

The secondary schools Agriculture course aims to:

  1. Promote interest in agriculture as an industry and create awareness of opportunities existing in agriculture and related sectors.
  2. Enhance learners’ knowledge and skills in the subject and related activities as a basis for increased food production, technological advancement and industrial development of Somaliland
  3. Develop in the learner resourcefulness and problem solving abilities
  4. Develop a foundation for higher learning and an occupational outlook in agriculture and related fields
  5. Promote health and environmental sustenance practices in all activities involving land utilization for agricultural production

TOPICS AND TOPIC DISTRIBUTION

The syllabus attempted to keep a balance of the four major sectors of agriculture viz. Crop production, Livestock Production, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Engineering.The topic distribution in thefour major areas of agriculture is tabulated below. Black marks xxxxxxx indicate the major sector(s) covered by corresponding topic.

Table II: Topic distribution

Topic / Major sector of Agriculture
Crop
production / Livestock
production / Agricultural
economics / Agriculture
engineering
FORM III
Introduction to Agriculture / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Factors Affecting Agriculture in Somaliland / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Farm Tools and Equipment / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Land Preparation for Crop Production / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Essential Plant Nutrients / xxxxxxxxxx
Manures and Fertilizers / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Farm Records / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Crop Planting / xxxxxxxxxx
Sources of Power for Agricultural Production / xxxxxxxxxx
Field Practices in Crop Production / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Livestock Selection and Breeding / xxxxxxxxxx
FORM IV
Livestock Parasites / xxxxxxxxxx
Livestock Health and Diseases / xxxxxxxxxx
Poultry Keeping / xxxxxxxxxx
Bee Keeping / xxxxxxxxxx
Soil and Water Conservation / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Pastures and Forage crops / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Production of Vegetable Crops / xxxxxxxxxx
Production Economics / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Farm Accounts / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Markets and Marketing / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
Agroforestry / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxx
FORM III
TOPIC/SUB-TOPIC
OBJECTIVES / CONTENT / LEARNING/TEACHING
EXPERIENCE / LEARNING./TEACHING RESOURCES
1.0.0 INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE
1.1.0 Specific objectives
By the end of the topic, the learner should be able to:
  1. explain the meaning of agriculture
  2. state, describe and classify the main branches of agriculture
  3. describe farming systems
/ Definition of agriculture
Branches of agriculture
  • Crop-farming (Arable farming)
Field crops
  • Horticulture
-Floriculture (flower farming)
-Olericulture (vegetable farming)
-Pomology (fruit farming)
  • Livestock farming
-Pastoralism – mammalian livestock farming
-Fish farming
-Apicultural (Bee keeping)
-Poultry keeping
  • Agricultural economics
  • Agricultural engineering
  • Methods of farming
-Mixed farming
-Nomadic pastoralism
-Shifting cultivation
-Organic farming
-Agroforestry
Note:- Learners should be reminded that any of the above methods can be subsistence or commercial, large scale or small scale, intensive or extensive and that arable farming can be, monocropping
, intercropping or mixed cropping. / Brainstorming on what agriculture entails them make a summary of what agriculture is
Listing the various branches of agriculture and discussing what each of them is about
Learners to narrate types of agriculture they have seen being practised
Teacher to show various real of pictures agriculture products and learners tell which branch of agriculture they come from
Learners to tell the branch of agriculture and the system of farming they prefer and why. / Agricultural products
Pictures depicting various agricultural products, activities
and farming systems
2.0.0 FACTORS AFFECTING AGRICULTURE IN SOMALILAND
2.1.0Specific objectives
By the end of the topic, the learner should be able to:
  1. list the various climatic factors and explain how each influences agricultural production
  2. explain the influence of various biotic factors on crop and livestock production in different regions of Somaliland.
  3. explain how various Edaphic factors influences agricultural production
  4. List and explain the human and political factors that influence agriculture
  5. Name the important agricultural areas in Somaliland
  6. state livestock characteristics that aid adaptation to environment
  7. Explain economic importance of agriculture to Somaliland
  8. List and explain ways of improving agricultural production in Somaliland.
/ Climatic factors:
  • Rainfall
-intensity,
-reliability,
-quantity
-distribution
  • Temperature as it relates to topography and altitude
  • Wind effect on humidity, evapotranspiration, lodging, seed dispersal pollination and soil erosion
  • Light:
-intensity,
-duration i.e. long day and short day
  • Biotic factors
--Livestock pests/disease vectors, vermin/predators and crop parasites
-Livestock and crop diseases
--Decomposers
--Nitrogen fixing
-Pollinators
  • Edaphic factors( factors related to soil)
-Texture
-Depth
  • Human factors
-Health and fitness
-Level of education
-Economic status
-Technology
-Cultural/religious beliefs
  • Political factors
Law and order/ stability
International relationships
Availability of services: transport and communication, Health, Extension, veterinary, marketing
  • Importantagricultural areas in Somaliland
  • Livestock distribution
Cattle, Goats, Sheep, poultry and camels
  • Livestock adaptation characteristic that help the animal to adapt to local environment
  • Importance of livestock –social and economic
Crop types and distribution
Social and economic
  • crop farming
-Importanceto the country
-Important crops and their distribution in the country.
Note: For each factor, negatively affecting agriculture, give the learners an activity through which they can come up with suggestions of how the society, his/her community and s/he could do to improve the situation. Ask them what they individually or in groups can do to make the situation better. / Discuss the various climatic factors and their effect on Agriculture