About 30 mission, private, early childhood and special schools in Samoa have received the Government’s annual School Grant assistance.
This is the 33rd year since the government-funded School Grant assistance started in 1984.
And since then the annual subsidy for mission, private, early childhood and special schools has increased from fifty thousand tala to 6 million tala.
The number of schools receiving the assistance has also increased from the first year when only mission schools received assistance to about 30 schools this year.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi assured the schools that the annual grant will gradually increase depending on the government’s finances.
He also called on the schools outside of the government school system to support the government revenue making reforms as part of the new income will finance the School Grant in years to come.
The Prime Minister said eventually the government will have the financial capacity to fund teachers’ salaries which has been a constant request from the private and mission schools.
The school grants were presented at a ceremony yesterday.
Photo by Government of Samoa