The city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar will put up a secondary agricultural school for senior high school (SHS) students from poor families in the city.
City information officer Rupert Ambil said on Tuesday the Borongan City Agricultural School, up for opening in 2025, will rise within the local government property in Camada village.
“The target is to enroll one student from each of the 61 barangays (villages) in the city. They will be nominated by barangay officials as their agriculture scholars. The barangay will fund their study with their local funds,” Ambil said in a phone interview.
The city government has yet to come up with the cost of building the stand-alone school pending the completion of the design from the Department of Education (DepEd).
Borongan City unveiled the plan during a school board meeting on August 8, 2024, between Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda and officials from the DepEd Borongan City division, Eastern Samar State University (ESSU), and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The establishment of an agricultural school with a specialized program for SHS supports the flagship program of the local government, the Dukwag Agrikultura, providing interest-free and collateral-free loans to Borongan residents engaged in agriculture to improve their production and help them engage in small to medium entrepreneurial activities.
A unique aspect of the project is the innovative infrastructure design of the school building, which is suited for actual agricultural processing and preparation. The school infrastructure will be designed for multi-purpose use, supporting extension classes and short courses to sustain the program.
The city government said the school can serve as a model for uplifting the agricultural needs of the towns and provinces in the country.
ESSU president Andres Pagatpatan said the university will automatically accept graduates of the agricultural school into its agricultural courses to ensure the success of the program.
The university will also contribute to the curriculum design to ensure alignment with its agricultural programs, facilitating a seamless transition from high school to college.
“Our recommendation is that students receive college credits from ESSU, allowing them to transition smoothly from high school to college and pursue their agricultural ventures immediately,” Ambil said.
He said TESDA vowed to help prepare graduates for the agency’s certifications and explore opportunities to provide student allowances, giving graduates multiple options upon completion.
The curriculum design for the agricultural school will be community-based and adapted to address the specific needs of the locality and the challenges posed by climate change, making it the first school in the region to incorporate such forward-thinking strategies, Ambil said. (PNA)
