Quality education lies at the heart of Samoa’s social, cultural and economic development, equipping learners with strong foundations and clear pathways to succeed and contribute meaningfully to their communities and the nation. To ensure that every learner can thrive, Samoa is strengthening a coherent and responsive education system that supports children and young people from early childhood through primary and secondary schooling, and into post-school education, training and employment, while remaining firmly grounded in Samoan culture and values.
Building on extensive sector analysis and national consultations, the Government of Samoa has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming the education system through the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2025–2030, with the goal of strengthening foundational learning, improving equity and inclusion, and ensuring smooth transitions across education levels. Guided by the Sootaga Mautu Faaleaoaoga Partnership Compact, the reform agenda contributes to Samoa’s national development priorities under Samoa 2040 and the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (2022–2026), while advancing progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education.
Reflecting the Government’s leadership and long-term vision for education reform, the Minister of Education and Culture, Hon. Afioga Aiono Alec Ekeroma, stated:
“The Samoa System Transformation Grant reflects our commitment to inclusive, seamless education pathways for all learners, built on strong early learning foundations and grounded in Samoan culture and values, while strengthening equity and smooth transitions across the education system.”
This commitment was underscored at the official launch of the GPE System Transformation Grant (STG) Education Transformation Project for Samoa, held on 3 February 2026. The project was launched by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), together with UNESCO and international partners, and is supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). It aims to strengthen inclusive, seamless and culturally grounded learning pathways across the education system. The launch event brought together senior government officials, education sector leaders, members of the Education Sector Advisory Committee, development partners, the United Nations Country Team, and representatives of the diplomatic community, including Australia, New Zealand, China, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, highlighting strong national ownership and sustained international support for Samoa’s education reform agenda.
Reaffirming GPE’s support for Samoa’s reform efforts, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education, Laura Frigenti, noted:
“Samoa’s education reform agenda shows a strong commitment to building solid foundations and inclusive learning for every child. GPE is proud to support reforms that advance equity, coherence of the education system, and transition into further education, training, and employment, while remaining grounded in Samoan culture.”
The project is financed through a USD 2.5 million STG from GPE, with Australia as key contributor and influential partner of GPE in the Indo-Pacific, UNESCO serving as the Grant Agent and the New Zealand Commission acting as the Coordinating Agent. It supports the implementation of Samoa’s ESP 2025–2030 and advances the priority reform identified in the Partnership Compact, focusing on ensuring that learners can access multiple, relevant and inclusive pathways underpinned by strong foundations.
Highlighting UNESCO’s role as grant agent and long-standing partner, Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Regional Director for the Pacific States, noted:
“UNESCO deeply appreciates its partnership with the Government of Samoa, GPE, and development partners in advancing this important education reform agenda. The project provides instrumental support to the Government’s commitment to improving education quality, strengthening teaching and learning, and advancing system-wide reform, as part of the broader transition reflected in the new Education Sector Plan and Partnership Compact. UNESCO remains committed to working closely with all partners to support implementation, strengthen system capacity, and ensure that reforms translate into improved learning outcomes for all learners in Samoa.”
Bilateral partners also reaffirmed their strong support for Samoa’s education reform agenda. As Coordinating Agent, New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner, Lavea’i Ioane of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) highlighted the importance of long-standing partnership and collaboration:
“New Zealand is proud to stand alongside the Government of Samoa and the Global Partnership for Education as the Coordinating Agent. We do so in the spirit of a long-standing partnership, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to strengthening education systems that deliver the greatest benefit for Samoa learners.”
Australia’s High Commissioner, H.E. Will Robinson, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), emphasised the regional impact of Australia’s investment through GPE, stating:
“Through Australia’s investment to GPE, we are proud to see our shared efforts making a deep impact in the Pacific. Together with our regional partners—we are strengthening education systems, building resilience, and ensuring that every Pacific child has the opportunity to learn, grow and lead.”
The STG Education Transformation Project has been developed to align with Samoa’s long-term education reform priorities and responds to key system-wide challenges identified through evidence and consultation. These include low participation in early childhood education, gaps in foundational literacy and numeracy, gender disparities in learning outcomes, and limited progression pathways, particularly at the transition from secondary education to post-school education, training and employment.
The project will be implemented through a coherent set of interventions across three mutually reinforcing outcomes:
Project outcomes
- Outcome 1: Early Childhood Education Beginnings – strengthening planning, coordination and quality in early childhood education to increase participation and support smooth transitions into primary schooling.
- Outcome 2: Primary Schooling Foundations – improving foundational literacy and numeracy through targeted, evidence-informed interventions, with a strong focus on inclusive and gender-responsive teaching and learning practices.
- Outcome 3: Secondary Schooling Pathways – enhancing the relevance, quality and coherence of secondary-level technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pathways to support smoother transitions to post-school education, training and employment.
Across all outcomes, the project integrates gender equality, inclusion, child safeguarding and community engagement as cross-cutting priorities. These are grounded in Fa’aSamoa principles, including aiga (family), fa’aaloalo (mutual respect) and vā tapuia (sacred relationships), ensuring that education reforms are culturally responsive, inclusive and supported by families and communities.
The quality of education is fundamental to Samoa’s long-term development. Through this project, the Ministry of Education and Culture and its partners reaffirm their shared commitment to building a cohesive, inclusive and resilient education system that empowers learners at every stage of their educational journey and supports lifelong learning for all in Samoa.
UNESCO Pacific media release, “Ministry of Education and Culture and UNESCO launch USD 2.5 million GPE-supported Education Transformation Project to strengthen learning pathways in Samoa” (3 February 2026).
