The American Samoa Department of Education director, Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau, has issued a directive that in four years all public school teachers will need a bachelor of education degree.
The government has been pushing for higher qualifications by teachers to improve poor student performance rates.
The requirement will affect more than half of the territory's teachers.
Vaitinasa says the department will not hire teachers with less than a bachelor's degree from 2016.
