The Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) has defended its policy of charging students for national exam papers, calling it a minimal but necessary cost to promote accountability and commitment.

MEC chief executive officer Aeau Christopher Hazelman explained that while the ministry covers the majority of the cost, a small fee is charged per exam paper to ensure parental involvement and student motivation.

“For them to pay, I mean, it's just minimal, because a lot of the actual cost is covered by the ministry itself,” Aeau said. “But we were also trying to ensure that there has to be something that allows the parents to push for their children to come and sit the exams.”

Each exam paper costs WST$4 according to Aeau, with the full exam set and registration totalling under WST$150. Yet Aeau, noted that many students had not paid their fees on time, particularly for the Year 10 exams in 2024.

“We had a large number,” he said, unable to provide an exact amount - “Unfortunately, parents were not paying the fee.”

Despite non-payment, students are still permitted to sit the exams. However, results are withheld until fees are settled. “What we did hold on to is the fact that they won't get their results,” Aeau confirmed.

Asked why Samoa requires these payments, Hazelman pointed to a longstanding precedent. “Even when Samoa used to sit the New Zealand exams… Samoa had to pay,” he said. “There were always examination fees.”

He acknowledged the difficulty in waiving unpaid fees: “We were contemplating, can we forgive those fees… but then it becomes an audit issue.”

The ministry continues to grapple with balancing access and sustainability. “There’s a cost to providing those assessments,” Aeau said, “and one of the key components… is that all students must pay and be registered before they can get that.”