MORE EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF GOVT. SYSTEM
By Nanai Taofiga Laveitiga Tuiletufuga
The $18 million One Government Grant, (OGG) dedicated to subsidize operational costs for private, mission, ECE and Schools for the people with special needs is back on the Cabinet sights for further scrutiny.
And expect changes in the near future, assured Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi.
Revealing the latest developments during his weekly Taimi ma le Palemia television program Saturday at the Samoa Rugby Union headquarters at Tu’anaimato, Tuilaepa says many of the private and mission schools have approached him requesting more financial assistance to pay for teachers’ salaries.
And Cabinet after revisiting the OGG and will consider the requests subject to a full review of the OGG assistance package.
“Preliminary findings show that the $18 million tala grant is simply not enough to cater for the needs of private, mission and special schools not under the Government system,” says the Prime Minister. “And the review is looking into more than just teachers’ salaries funding for these none government schools but the entire assistance package to include incentives to up skill teachers’ capacity through scholarships initiatives with our NUS and other opportunities available.”
The Prime Minister says that the changes reflects the Government recognition of the contribution to the education of Samoa’s children by all schools outside of the Government system.
“It’s also a testament to reaffirm that Education is one of the top priorities for Government.”
Presently, only teachers employed in government schools are paid for by government.
The O.G.G. is a new version of the annual School Grant Program started by Government close to 40 years ago.
It started with an annual budget of $50,000 tala in cash pay-outs to the missions and private schools to support with the administrative costs. And the amounts allocated per school depend on the number of schools on their respective enrollments.
By last year, the annual school grant program’s budget ballooned to more than $6 million tala representing a 200% increase in the number students coverage reflected in the expansion of the cash pay-outs to Early Childhood Education and Schools for persons which special needs.
For the current fiscal year, Government has approved over $10 million tala to subsidize teachers’ salaries for Church and private schools not to mention Early Childhood Education and even schools for those with special needs.
The funding is part of the $18 million tala approved allocation in the 2020 2021- Fiscal Year Budget to roll-out the Government’s “One Government Grant” (O. G.G.) initiative.
For the current Fiscal Year, MESC approved budget is over $103 million tala as outlined below;
1. Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture – $103.4million tala
• $72.6 million tala for the Ministry’s planned operations;
• $30.7 million for Transactions on Behalf of State.
The planned initiatives of the Ministry include the following major developments;
• $18 million for the One Government Grant to schools;
• $6.5 million for the Education Sector Support Program under the auspices of the New Zealand and Australian Government;
• $1.5 million for Teachers’ Scholarship program;
• $350,000 for the Samoa Rugby Union;
• $200,000 for Sports Development;
• $150,000 for the Samoa Netball Association;
The Ministry is also working in collaboration with its major development partners in the implementation of key projects of which the largest are:
• $2 million for Inclusive Education;
• $1.2 million for the Nursing Workforce Development Program.
