The Samoa Information Association (S.I.T.A.) plans to expand its e-learning platform and has appealed for donor support to make it happen.

S.I.T.A. E-Learning Project Manager Mailo Henry Mailo, in an interview with the Samoa Observer on Tuesday, said many schools in Samoa are now realising the importance of e-learning platforms.

He said their project initially was to just cover Year 13 based on their budget at that time, but then they received requests from Leififi College and Samoa College for the whole school to be put on Moodle.

“But we just got a request from Leififi and also Samoa College if we can put the whole school on Moodle, because the predicament we're in right now, the students are not able to travel to come to school and uplift their resources," Mailo said. "So the only way for them to learn during the lockdown is to use e-learning. 

“So now we've received the request from those schools and are seeking kind donors in terms of funding.”

With more schools asking for all their grades to be placed on Moodle, Mailo said that will be four times the work than before.

"There are a lot of other schools but the focus now for us is to make sure we at least do the work for the schools that have already been a part of the project," he said. "So if we do have the means in terms of money then why not because it's really important to see these schools using the system.”

The S.I.T.A. has the capacity to expand their e-learning platform to all levels of a school or college’s grades, according to Mailo.

"We do have the local expertise to do it and the significance of cloud hosting is that I could do everything from home," he said.

When the association’s e-learning platform opened in April last year, Avele College was the first educational institution in Samoa to sign up.

Close to two years on, Mailo said student users at Avele College are now “advanced”, having used the platform for a long period without any difficulties. 

He said the Samoa College is the most recent addition to educational institutions that have joined the platform.

"Moodle is a full fledged system, it has everything but messenger is limited," he said.

Acknowledging the support of the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P.) at the start of their e-learning project, Mailo pointed out the importance of education in Samoa and appealed again to donors for support.