Schools in Samoa will be closed for another week

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Samoa Ministry of Education and Culture has extended school closures from Monday, August 4 to Friday, August 8 due to the continued spread of dengue fever. This comes after all schools in Samoa were closed last week as well.

This decision was made based on recent data from the Ministry of Health (MOH), gathered from main hospitals in Moto’otua, district hospitals, and hospitals in Savai’i. According to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC), the health numbers helped guide the decision to keep schools closed for another week.

The announcement was shared live on the Ministry’s official Facebook page by the Chief Executive Officer of MEC, Aeau Christopher Hazelman. All early childhood centers, primary schools, colleges, TVET centers, and all Universities in Samoa will be closed for another week.

The decision follows careful discussions with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the caretaker Prime Minister, and the cabinet.

The CEO of MEC also made a humble request to parents to continue supporting schools during this time.

“I ask that we all work together to ensure that our students will continue to have their assessments and exercises for next week,” said Aeau.

He also urged parents to stay in contact with schools and to follow the schools’ advice so that students can keep up with their learning from home.

Some schools have remained active by keeping in contact with parents and helping students during the closure, with shared announcements and homeschool work. 

Sadly, two children have died from dengue fever since the start of the school break, bringing the total number of dengue-related deaths to four.

MEC continues to ask for patience and cooperation from families to help protect the health of students and support their education during this difficult time.