Investment Design for Samoa Education Sector Program (ESSP).

Abstract

Samoa is a small Pacific country with a high reliance on a few sources of export income, including remittances and foreign grants. It is vulnerable to disasters and climate change. The population is a young one (over 60% are under age 29) and participation in formal employment is relatively low. At the same time as unemployment is high amongst young people, Samoan businesses report skills shortages as a significant barrier to further growth. In this context Samoa recognises the critical importance of education to its further economic and social development. Key outcome 7 of Samoa’s overarching strategic document, the Samoa Development Strategy, is for education and training to be improved. The Education Sector In the Samoan education sector there are:  126 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centres mostly mission or privately run  210 schools, around 80% of which are government owned, with a further 16% mission schools and a small number private  26 Post School Education and Training (PSET) providers, the most significant of which is the National University of Samoa (NUS), with most of the rest being mission providers. These institutions are overseen and supported by three Implementation Agencies (IAs), namely the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC), the Samoa Qualifications Authority (SQA) and NUS. In terms of numbers of learners, there are 68,500 or just over one in three of the population in Samoa enrolled in education institutions. Just under 60,000 of these are enrolled in the school sector with the balance fairly evenly spread between ECE and PSET. Participation in the early years of school education is high. But participation drops away over the later years of secondary school, more markedly so for boys. Numbers transitioning to PSET need to increase so that the country is upskilling its young population to support future prosperity. A range of information shows that achievement levels for literacy and numeracy remain of concern at all levels of school, with boys achieving at significantly lower levels than girls, particularly in literacy. Factors behind this persistent low achievement largely concern capacity issues. In primary schools, for example, delivering the outcomes-based curriculum using the bilingual language of instruction model is proving highly challenging for many teachers. Beyond school fewer than desirable numbers of school leavers successfully transition to further education and work and graduates from PSET programmes sometimes struggle to find work that utilises their skills, indicating the need for improvement in quality and relevance. The Samoa Education Sector (ES) has since 2013 adopted a sector wide approach to improving outcomes. Key education agencies work together to implement a comprehensive work programme in pursuit of agreed sector goals, namely better outcomes through improvements in the quality of, participation in and relevance of education and more effective and sustainable sector operations. Rationale for Australia and New Zealand Investment Support from Australia and New Zealand for the Samoa Education Sector Plan (ESP) is consistent with the strategic intent of both countries’ aid strategy and policy. As well as addressing key areas of focus for both countries in terms of educational outcomes, the sector is also committed to enhancing gender equality, creating a more inclusive education system for people with disability and has included the development of a Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience (CCDRR) strategy as a result indicator in the ESP. Further investment in support of Samoan education will build on previous developments, further enhance the relationship between the three countries and increase the chances that the Education Sector is successful in making progress towards the goals it has set for itself. Budget support modality continued The evaluation of the Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP) 2015-2018 recommended continuation of a budget support modality. This will reinforce a sector wide way of working, generate efficiency through using Government of Samoa (GoS) systems and build sustainability through enhancing capacity in the Education Sector.