DOE cuts Teacher Aide and Facility Sanitizer program at year’s end

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — With the school year beginning soon in American Samoa, the Department of Education’s current program funding Teacher Aides (TAs) and Apprenticeship 1 (Facility Sanitizers) has been cut short.

This program was given approval for another year-long extension in May, prior to the ending of the 2022- 2023 school year.

As a result, TA’s were informed then to remain on board for another school year.

Unfortunately, one disappointed member of the program says, “What a broken promise from the Department of Education!”   

 A letter, dated August 14, 2023, from the Personnel Office Administrator, Sheri Saeni Vasai-Taase, addressed to Dr. Dottie Tuisamatele, DOE assistant director- Secondary Division; Naea Faafetai Atioo, DOE assistant director- Elementary Division; secondary and elementary directors, and school principals, via Talauega Dr. Samasoni, director of DOE, was about the final extension of the Teacher Aides (TAs) and Apprenticeship 1 (Facility Sanitizers) program.

The letter states, “In May, prior to the ending of the 2022-2023 school year, you were informed that our current teacher aides and facility sanitizers were approved to remain on board for another school year.

“Unfortunately the situation has instantaneously changed due to unforeseen circumstances and we are only able to sustain the employment of these individuals until the end of this year.

“The final extension of their NTE [not to exceed date] is now December 31, 2023.

“We understand the unfortunate impact of this situation. However these individuals should remember that when coming on board the program would eventually end.”

Principals of schools have been encouraged to inform the individuals as soon as possible so they can begin preparing to seek other employment, before the year ends.

Vasai -Taase the signatory of this letter when contacted by Samoa News for comment about the matter said she has to be authorized to talk about the issue in question; and, instead she’d prefer that one of the Deputy directors of Education or the Director responded. She offered to pass on this reporter’s phone number to them.

The Chairman of the Education Committee in the House of Representatives, Fiu John Saelua, in an exclusive interview with Samoa News yesterday, said he was not aware of any changes made by the DOE to the TA and Sanitizer program.

Fiu said he’ll ask the directors as this is the first time he’s heard of this, and they should be coming in for their turn during budget hearings set to begin next week.

A mother of four, who is a member of the TA Program says, if she’d known about the discontinuation of the program, she wouldn’t have gone to the bank for a loan.