Scores of children from low-income families in Samoa are set to attend school for the first time this year after the government announced the waiving of their fees.
The ministry of education is planning to launch the scheme this week.
Our correspondent in Apia, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia, reports the incentive will trigger a huge change for affected families.
"There is no free education in this country. Even tough that the government is providing free text books for primary school students, the village committees that are responsible for maintaining the school buildings are also collecting school fees from each child every month. The thing that we need to find out is how many children and how many families cannot afford to send their children to school because of not having enough money. Hopefully the ministry, when they launch the programme, will come out with this information."
Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
