Samoa

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Samoa is a small state of the Commonwealth, with a population of over 222,000 (World Bank, 2022).

COL plays an important role in supporting Samoa’s education and training systems, particularly in the areas of Technology-Enabled Learning (TEL) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and data resilience through the Partnership for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) in the Pacific. Samoa is also an active member of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network and benefits from programmes offered through COL’s regional centre, the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD). In addition, learners from Samoa participate in COL’s free open online courses and make use of a wide range of openly available learning resources and capacity-building initiatives.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
13.1%		11.4%
Female (2017)		Male (2017)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
98.5%		95.3%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2021¹
25.6%		12.1%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

365 teachers from Samoa trained to provide effective learner support in open and distance learning (ODL) contexts.
Building the capacity of TVET practitioners through national coordinators.
Partnership with the National University of Samoa for capacity building of youth.
Development of online learning resources for teachers: ODL Course Catalogue, National OER Collection Site and Online TVET Toolkit.
Honourable Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Prime Minister of Samoa delivered the inaugural address and participated at PCF10.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Samoa include:

Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture
Brown Girl Woke
Matuaileoo Environment Trust Inc.
National University of Samoa
Samoa Qualifications Authority
USP Alafua Campus

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Muagututi’a Dr Ioana Chan Mow
Professor, Computing Education
National University of Samoa

Notable Mention

The Honourable Fiamé Naomi Mata’afa
COL Honorary Fellow and former member of COL Board of Governors

Letuimanu’asina Dr Emma Kruse Va’ai, former member of COL Board of Governors

Literacy rate (2021)¹
98.8%		99.4%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2017)¹
44.4%		70.3%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2021)¹
13%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
71.8		69.2
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

78	32
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.77	13
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Samoa

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

More Information

News

Reports

Publications and Resources

Country Data Sources