- Under way
Government schools already had a free tuition policy before this government1. In February 2026 the government stopped registration fees at government schools and put school committees under the district councils23. Schools then waited into Term 2 for the school grant4. A July 2026 start for free education up to tertiary level, given at a UN summit in November 2025, has passed, and families still pay some university tuition56.
Cuts both ways Partly funded OverdueDetails and sources
- Promised
- FAST launched its manifesto at Salelologa, Savaiʻi, on Saturday 12 July 20257. Talamua reported that the manifesto included 'free education'8. Talamua also said it set out help at pre-school, primary, college and university9. On 28 August 2025, the day before the election, the Samoa Observer summed up FAST's education promise as 'Free schooling to college', with free lunches and teacher pay for church schools10. The same Samoa Observer article listed 'free schooling' among FAST's main promises11. These reports give no cost and no start date for free schooling, and no promise of free university tuition810. A Samoa Observer editorial of 13 July 2025 said FAST had not explained how it would pay for its promises12. We have not seen the 2025 manifesto document itself, so its exact wording is unconfirmed. The July 2026 date for free education up to tertiary level came after the election, in November 20255.
- What happened
- We have found no new law that makes schooling free and no budget line named for free schooling. The money runs through the existing One Government Grant (OGG) to schools1314. The 2025/26 budget of 6 October 2025 raised the grant from SAT$18 million to SAT$18.5 million15. On 12 February 2026 the prime minister, Laʻaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, said tuition was covered, but parents were often asked to pay registration, building and other fees to school committees16. The prime minister said some children were charged up to SAT$150 for registration17. He said there would be strict enforcement so that no extra fees are charged at any primary school18. The Samoa Observer reported that the government stopped registration fees for students in government schools, wording that would also cover government colleges2. The government press release named only primary schools18. We have not seen a written rule, so the exact reach of the ban is unconfirmed. The grant was late, and some schools held mufti-day fundraisers to pay utility bills19. On 1 May 2026 the prime minister said most schools would be paid early the next week20. On 13 May 2026 the Samoa Observer reported that schools were in Term 2 and still waiting for their full allocation4. The prime minister said the delay was caused in part by the move from school committees to the district councils (Fono Faʻavae)21. He said three signatures are now needed before money is released: the principal, the council chair and the school committee member on the council22. On 22 June 2026 the Samoa Observer reported that the government said the grant had been paid out, but some schools still lacked stationery23. We have found no published total of what schools received in 2025/26. On 1 May 2026 the prime minister said a report from the education minister found no audits of the grant between 2021 and 2026 'under the previous system'24. The prime minister said over SAT$1 million was left in the old system and needed checking25. Talamua reported on 17 June 2026 that the education minister, Aiono Alec Ekeroma, told Parliament the grant had not been audited for eight years26. The prime minister's account and the minister's give different periods2426. Talamua reported that Aiono said the funds had been abused and misspent, and that some school principals face court cases over alleged theft27. The Talamua report names no principal or school. We have not found court records or any ruling, so these remain allegations27. Aiono was answering former Cabinet minister Leatinuʻu Wayne Fong, who argued that the education ministry had processes to trace grant spending28. The ministry's own annual report for 2024/25 said a review finished in September 2024 found weak financial oversight of the grant2930. On 10 March 2026, in a court case against the district programme, HRPP asked that the grant stay with the education ministry until the court decides31. On 31 March 2026 the Chief Justice, Satiu Simativa Perese, dismissed HRPP's bid for an interim injunction32. At that date HRPP's main case, a judicial review of the rules for choosing council chairs, had not gone to trial33. Talamua reported on 17 July 2026 that the main hearing, over two days, focused on HRPP's claim that appointing FAST members as chairs for the 51 districts was discriminatory54. The government's lawyer told the court the appointments were made lawfully within the programme's guidelines and policies55. The court reserved its decision, and we have found no ruling as of 22 October 202656. The 2026/27 budget of 26 May 2026 set the grant at SAT$18 million for 320 schools, SAT$0.5 million less than in 2025/261413. In November 2025 a government press release on Samoa's statement to a UN world summit in Doha, delivered by the Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, Moefaʻauouo Julius Ah Kui Tafunai, said free education from early childhood to tertiary would start in July 20265. The 2026/27 budget gives the National University of Samoa (NUS) SAT$17.2 million, down from SAT$18,083,570 in 2025/263435. On 6 August 2026 the prime minister told NUS students that their families, villages and district councils pay some of their tuition6. Separately, the government paid a one-off SAT$150 per person back-to-school grant out of district development money36. By 6 May 2026 the social affairs ministry reported SAT$24,053,100 paid out37. The scheme ended on 30 June 202638. In Parliament in June 2026 the government said the grant was a quick way to spend district money before the financial year ended39. The Samoa Observer reported that Cabinet approved payment for all citizens, while PMN reported that recipients had to be registered voters in their district4041. These reports do not agree, and we have not confirmed how children qualified.
- Impact on families
- Before this government, in March 2025, the education ministry paid 98% of the grant to 335 schools42. In 2026 schools waited into Term 2, and some held fundraisers to pay bills419. In January 2026, before the fee ban, a Faleasiʻu mother said her son at Leulumoega College paid SAT$120 a year in school fees. She said her daughters at Faleasiʻu Primary paid SAT$40 a year43. In 2023 households spent SAT$305 a year on average on education44. In 2023, 72.9% of poor children were enrolled in secondary school, against 84.7% of non-poor children45. We have found no 2026 figures on fees paid by families or on enrolment, so the effect is not yet known.
- Cost
- The grant that pays for fee-free tuition is SAT$18 million in 2026/2714. That is about 1.8% of ordinary receipts of SAT$1,008.0 million, or 1.4% of SAT$1,284.7 million once external grants are added46. We have found no published costing for replacing the fees schools lose, for mission school fees or for free tertiary education.
- Verdict for families
- Cuts both ways
- Can it be done?
- Doable
- Long term
- Mixed long term
- Who deserves the credit
-
Shared credit
Fee-free tuition was inherited. New Zealand and Australia funded a primary school fee grant scheme, which an education ministry study says began in 201047. New Zealand launched a fee grant for Years 9 to 11 at government schools in August 2013, but the ministry study dates that step to 2015, so the sources differ on the year48. The grants were merged into the OGG in 201949. This government raised the grant by SAT$0.5 million in 2025/26, then set it back to SAT$18 million for 2026/271514. Its own steps are the February 2026 fee ban and the move of school money to councils with Cabinet-appointed chairs250. The government press office said school committees were put under district councils 'in a move to try and enforce' Samoa's 'long-adopted free tuition fee policy'1. Tuition at government schools was already covered, so only the early childhood and tertiary parts of the July 2026 pledge made at the Doha summit would be new, and we have found no budget line for them16534.
- Who gains
- Families with children at government schools gain where the ban holds: up to SAT$150 in registration at some schools, SAT$40 a year at one primary school and SAT$120 a year at one college1743.
- Who pays
- Government schools lose fee income and waited months for the grant; families at mission and private schools are not covered by the ban, where a ministry study puts Years 11 to 13 tuition at SAT$50 to SAT$700 a term; and NUS families still pay some tuition24651.
- Assessment
- Free tuition is a public service that helps most where cost keeps children out of school. In 2023 poor children's secondary enrolment trailed that of other children by about 12 points45. The fee ban gives real relief, but only at government schools251. School money now runs through district councils whose chairs are appointed by Cabinet and must have been election candidates50. After that change the grant reached schools months late, and the prime minister said the change was part of the cause421. In a letter to the Samoa Observer on 25 April 2026, HRPP leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi wrote that the change 'opens the door to potential political misuse'52. HRPP's court claim that the chair appointments were discriminatory still awaits a ruling, and the government's lawyer told the court they were lawful545556. The Samoa Observer reported that the new district law strengthens transparency and oversight, while opposition MPs said it could centralise control, and three signatures are now needed to release school money5322. The education minister told Parliament the grant funds had been abused and misspent and not audited for eight years; we have seen no published audit report or court ruling on this2627.
Sources (56)
- Government to Impose Strict Enforcement of Free Education for All Children of Samoa
- No student registration fees, school committees abolished
- Government to Impose Strict Enforcement of Free Education for All Children of Samoa
- Schools to receive funds soon: PM
- Samoa Committed to Social Justice, Inclusion & Family-Centred Development
- PM address recent violence and drugs with NUS Students & Staff
- FAST Party Manifesto Centres on the Family Unit
- FAST Party Manifesto Centres on the Family Unit
- FAST Party Manifesto Centres on the Family Unit
- What the three major parties are promising Samoa
- What the three major parties are promising Samoa
- More promises, FAST and its manifesto
- Budget Address FY2025-2026
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
- Budget Address FY2025-2026
- Government to Impose Strict Enforcement of Free Education for All Children of Samoa
- Government to Impose Strict Enforcement of Free Education for All Children of Samoa
- Government to Impose Strict Enforcement of Free Education for All Children of Samoa
- No grants given yet, schools fundraise to pay bills
- School grants under audit: PM
- Schools to receive funds soon: PM
- Schools to receive funds soon: PM
- Schools still lack essential stationery
- School grants under audit: PM
- School grants under audit: PM
- Government Education Grant abused and not audited for 8 years
- Government Education Grant abused and not audited for 8 years
- Government Education Grant abused and not audited for 8 years
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
- No Grounds for HRPP Motion to Withhold the District Development Project
- Court dismiss HRPP Interim Injunction to Halt the District Development Project
- Court dismiss HRPP Interim Injunction to Halt the District Development Project
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
- Budget Address FY2025-2026
- PM Clarifies $32M Funding for Back-to-School Scheme
- 160,354 tagata ua faamauina ua talaina a latou seleni ($150)
- Government defends handling of Faleata No. 2 DDP funds
- $150 grant fast way to use district funds: Govt
- More than $15M paid out in $150 school support
- Delayed back-to-school grant finally reaching Sāmoa districts after election concerns
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
- Women vendors prepare for back to school challenge
- Samoa 2023 Household Income and Expenditure Survey Report
- Samoa monetary poverty assessment 2023
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
- Samoa school fees scheme launched
- Samoa school fees scheme launched
- Reasons Students in Samoa Do Not Complete Secondary
- What Samoa’s District Development Act 2026 means for district funding?
- Are we finally getting truly free education?
- Misplaced priorities at a critical time
- What Samoa’s District Development Act 2026 means for district funding?
- Court reserves decision on appointment of District Development Council Chairs
- Court reserves decision on appointment of District Development Council Chairs
- Court reserves decision on appointment of District Development Council Chairs
Is it funded?
Partly funded
The 2025/26 budget gave SAT$18.5 million for the One Government School Grant1. The 2026/27 budget gives SAT$18 million to 320 schools, including early childhood centres and colleges2. The last full payout we found is SAT$17,895,407 of SAT$18 million in 2024/253. The 2025/26 grant was still not fully paid in May 202645. In June 2026 the government said the grant had been paid out, but we have found no published payout total6. We found no budget line for free tertiary tuition; NUS gets SAT$17.2 million in 2026/277. The budget figures come from the two Budget Addresses; we have not checked the vote pages of the Approved Estimates.
Sources (7)
- Budget Address FY2025-2026
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
- Schools to receive funds soon: PM
- Schools to receive funds soon: PM
- Schools still lack essential stationery
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
Deadline (passed)
No report of the manifesto that we found gives a date for free schooling12. In November 2025 a government press release on Samoa's statement to a UN world summit, delivered by the Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, said free education from early childhood to tertiary would start in July 2026, a date that has now passed3. In August 2026 the prime minister said families, villages and district councils pay some NUS tuition4.
Sources (4)
- What the three major parties are promising Samoa
- FAST Party Manifesto Centres on the Family Unit
- Samoa Committed to Social Justice, Inclusion & Family-Centred Development
- PM address recent violence and drugs with NUS Students & Staff
What research says
Research is mixed
In Papua New Guinea, enrolment rose 17% between 2011 and 2012 after tuition fees were removed, and the average cost of schooling per student fell from 131 to 39 kina12. A Papua New Guinea study found low-income families gained the most from that policy3. A 2024 review of secondary fee abolition in sub-Saharan Africa found clear short-run gains in enrolment and no study showing better exam results45. The same 2024 review found that fee abolition often led to larger classes, and that in most African countries the spending mostly reached better-off households67. This applies to Samoa because cost is a real barrier: in 2023 poor children's secondary enrolment was 72.9% against 84.7% for the non-poor8.
Sources (8)
- Papua New Guinea's Tuition Fee-Free policy: is it working?
- Papua New Guinea's Tuition Fee-Free policy: is it working?
- Media Release: Spotlight Volume 13, Issue 13 – Benefits of the Tuition Fee Free Policy as perceived by Port Moresby residents
- Secondary School Fee Abolition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Taking Stock of the Evidence (Comparative Education Review, accepted version)
- Secondary School Fee Abolition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Taking Stock of the Evidence (Comparative Education Review, accepted version)
- Secondary School Fee Abolition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Taking Stock of the Evidence (Comparative Education Review, accepted version)
- Secondary School Fee Abolition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Taking Stock of the Evidence (Comparative Education Review, accepted version)
- Samoa monetary poverty assessment 2023
Cost and reach
Cost is the SAT$18 million 2026/27 grant1. Reach is the 2025 school roll: 45,170 primary pupils plus 15,346 college students, 60,516 in all23. That is about SAT$297 per pupil a year123. The count leaves out early childhood pupils, whom the grant also covers1. It includes 9,649 primary and 6,116 college pupils at mission and private schools, 15,765 in all23. We have not confirmed how much of the grant reaches mission and private schools.
Sources (3)
- Minister of Finance Hon Mulipola Anarosa Budget Address 2026/2027
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the financial year ended June 30, 2025
Helps: Children · Students · Low-income families
Paid for by: Taxpayers · State companies (EPC, SWA, SSC)
Folafolaga · https://folafolaga.pages.dev/promises/fast-school-free-schooling/ · Printed from the version last checked 23 October 2026. Every claim's source is listed on that page.