S.Q.A launches new Post School Education and Training plan

By Emily Dunn 19 June 2017, 12:00AM

The Board of the Samoa Qualifications Authority (S.Q.A) has launched their Post School Education and Training (P.S.E.T) strategic plan for the years 2016-2020. 

The Strategy aims to ‘maximise the P.S.E.T subsectors contribution to Samoa’s development’, in accordance with their vision of inclusive and accessible post school education for all Samoans. 

Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was the keynote speaker.

She addressed some poignant problems that limit the learning of Samoans. 

She said that “across the Education Sector we need to improve student learning outcomes, build up the capacity of out lecturers and help young people gain better skills and obtain employment.” 

She spoke of a need to better utilise the available resources in order to achieve a more effective education system as a whole. 

The new Strategy claims to do just this, ‘the provision of high quality PSET … will enhance and increase opportunities and pathways for our people’ resulting in a heightened quality of life.  

S.Q.A outlines a number of ambitious long-term aims in their new strategy in alignment with the United Nations sustainable development goals, which include providing: inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities to all; gender equality; sustainable economic growth, resulting in decent work for all; and the reduction of inequality. 

The Authority argues that they will achieve these objectives through the establishment of quality assured programmes and qualifications, a flexible delivery approach, and P.S.E.T providers taking individual responsibility to ensure their teaching responds to the ‘broad range of demand’. 

As well as the progression of quality teaching at all levels, increased access to relevant education, the strengthening of links between education and the needs of the Samoan people, and the establishment of sustainable and efficient management across the sector.

However, the success of the plan will be dependent on the contribution of the stakeholders. This means full collaboration from, the Education Sector Advisory Committee, in terms of monitoring the strategy’s progress; the Education Sector Working Group, who are responsible for strengthening the coordination and delivery of services by all agencies; the P.S.E.T task force who are the link between the providers and stakeholders; the long list continues. 

There are a total of twenty-one registered P.S.E.T providers in Samoa, details of which can be found on their website. With such a high number of stakeholders and agencies involved, how likely is the strategy to succeed?

S.Q.A says that the outcome of the strategy will be continually measured through document reviews, reports and labour market studies, to name but a few proposed methods.

By Emily Dunn 19 June 2017, 12:00AM

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