Students of Samoa stand to benefit a great deal from a donation presented to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture on Thursday.

More than 1,700 Mathematics literacy books were donated by Kelburn Primary School in New Zealand during a handover ceremony at M.E.S.C.’s conference room.

Director of Salvation Army in Samoa, Lt. Colonel Rod Carey, presented the donation on behalf of the primary school in Wellington, New Zealand.

Representatives from M.E.S.C. conveyed their heartfelt gratitude towards the donation.

“The Kelburn School had surplus supplies while we were in New Zealand and we were given 20 boxes of Mathematics literacy books,” said Lt. Carey.

He told the Samoa Observer that they were given 20 boxes of books.

“We thought it would be really useful for the children of Samoa.

“We had them transported up and through Seki Works they freighted them from New Zealand to Samoa for free.

“We gave 17 boxes to M.E.S.C. while the other three were already given out during our meetings with various villages while conducting our awareness programmes on alcohol and drug.”

He added that it was best for M.E.S.C. to distribute the books because they had a fair idea on which schools need them the most.

“I think that books are critical in the education system because the children or students need to read to gain more knowledge and to develop their literacy skills and improve their learning capacity as they grow up.

“We hope these books will help increase the understanding of the children of Samoa in Mathematics that will help them in the future.

“We hope to continue providing assistance through resources donated from partnerships with schools and organisations in New Zealand.”

M.E.S.C. has an annual programme that aims to increase awareness and roll out targeted efforts in Samoa for Literacy, Numeracy and Science in real life situations, and provide a platform to highlight and showcase student-centred projects in literacy, numeracy and science. 

The annual programme aims to raise awareness of key national and international issues, bring students, teachers, principals and parents together to work towards a collective goal, and provide an opportunity for students to express their views on chosen topics, showcase their talents and learn different skills.