Samoa's Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture launches a new programme this week that will pay school fees for all students in the primary level in both government and mission schools as well as students in special needs schools.
The programme targets parents who cannot afford to pay for their children's school fees and is part of the ministry's strategic and education development plan from the year 2006 to 2015.
The governments of Australia and New Zealand have provided financial assistance of more than 2 million US dollars for the programme and the ministry says this will help achieve its goal of compulsory education by the year 2015.
The programmes first priority is to educate children who have never been to school because of financial difficulties as well as students who want to continue their studies.
