Students sit on the grass during the opening ceremony of the Safata College’s newly constructed multistory classroom block in Samoa – February 2018. Credit: US Embassy In New Zealand/Flickr

Partner since:

Total grant support: US$16,927,461

Grant eligibility:

  • Multiplier
  • System capacity
  • System transformation

Education sector plan

Objective: Deliver and promote high quality education and training to meet the national, economic, social and cultural goals of Samoa.

Other key documents

Coordinating agency: New Zealand High Commission

GPE Team lead: Daisuke Kanazawa

Transforming education in Samoa

Regional strategy: PacREF

In 2018, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Education Ministers, in which Samoa participates, adopted the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) 2018-2030: Moving Towards Education 2030.

PacREF outlines a transformative and sustainable regional education agenda aligned with global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, and Education 2030: Incheon Declaration on Education for All Framework for Action.

The 12-year framework promotes equitable access to high quality education by all Pacific Islanders with a view to enable their countries to effectively deal with the development challenges facing the Pacific region.

The framework also encourages inclusivity and opportunities for equal access to informal, primary, secondary and tertiary education and training. It focuses particularly on education quality and the importance of working cooperatively in the region and beyond.

While Pacific countries integrate what they consider as the relevant parts of the PacREF Program into their national education policies, programs and practices, the Framework also provides a means for identifying and understanding similarities and differences across the region. It offers organizing mechanisms for sector planning, reporting and collaboration, and give development partners with an understanding of where the region’s resourcing priorities lie.

The PacREF has 4 key policy areas to maximize gains in student learning outcomes and well-being:

  1. Quality and relevance: Provide all learners with a safe and supportive environment, within which they are offered high quality learning opportunities that are meaningful, valuable, inclusive and future-focused.
  2. Learning pathway: Provide all learners equal access to multiple and seamless pathways and modalities of learning that will allow them to meet their full potential.
  3. Student outcomes and wellbeing: Make sure all learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attributes to enable them to contribute to their families, communities and to nation building.
  4. The teaching profession: Support and empower teachers through opportunities for continuous development, shared understanding and accountability.

PacREF is divided into three 4-year phases to facilitate in-depth program review by the education ministers.

Result story

Samoa: Supporting students and teachers through COVID-19

As COVID-19 disrupted learning in Samoa, education leaders responded by supporting students and teachers and making the system more resilient to future disruptions.

Grants

(data as of March 19, 2024)

 
  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2023 - 2024

    Allocation: US$594,974

    Utilization: 0

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: Program implementation

    Years: 2021 - 2024

    Allocation: US$14,997,510

    Utilization: US$887,272

    Grant agent: ADB

Civil society engagement

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting the Samoa Education Network (SEN) for the 2020-2023 period. This builds on previous support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).

Learn more

Knowledge and innovation

Latest blogs and news