Samoa is advancing its education system to provide learners with strong foundations and clear pathways that support personal, social, and economic development while remaining rooted in Samoan culture and values. The government is focused on creating a coherent and responsive system that supports students’ learning from early childhood through primary and secondary education, and into post-school training and employment.
Building on national consultations and sector analysis, Samoa has committed to transforming its education system through the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2025–2030. The plan emphasizes foundational learning, equity and inclusion, and smooth transitions across education levels, aligned with Samoa 2040 and the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (2022–2026), and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education.
The commitment was highlighted during the launch of the GPE System Transformation Grant (STG) Education Transformation Project on 3 February 2026. The project, supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNESCO, and international partners including Australia and New Zealand, aims to strengthen inclusive and culturally grounded learning pathways across the education system.
The STG provides USD 2.5 million in funding, with Australia as a key contributor. UNESCO serves as the Grant Agent, and New Zealand acts as the Coordinating Agent. The project is designed to support the implementation of Samoa’s ESP 2025–2030 and focuses on ensuring learners can access multiple, relevant, and inclusive pathways grounded in strong foundational learning.
The project responds to system-wide challenges such as low participation in early childhood education, gaps in foundational literacy and numeracy, gender disparities, and limited progression pathways, particularly in the transition from secondary education to post-school education, training, and employment.
Implementation will focus on three outcomes: strengthening early childhood education participation and quality, improving foundational literacy and numeracy in primary schools with inclusive and gender-responsive practices, and enhancing secondary-level technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to support smoother transitions to post-school pathways. Cross-cutting priorities include gender equality, inclusion, child safeguarding, and community engagement, all grounded in Fa’aSamoa cultural principles such as aiga (family), fa’aaloalo (mutual respect), and vā tapuia (sacred relationships).
Through the STG Education Transformation Project, Samoa’s Ministry of Education and Culture and its partners aim to build a cohesive, inclusive, and resilient education system that empowers learners at every stage of their educational journey and supports lifelong learning for all.
