Moata’a $1.048m Primary School Opens

By Talaia Mika

APIA, SAMOA – 02 MARCH 2022: Over five hundred students attending the Moata’a Primary School are enjoying their first day in school at their new school building.

At a cost of $1,048,433 tala, the school building was officially opened yesterday by the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Seuula Ioane and the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Senta Keisuke unveiled the projects plague.

Located opposite the Taumeasina Island resort, the new school building was funded by the Government of Japan and several donors including the village residents overseas and SSAB.

The Government of Japan provided the Moata’a School Committee, SAT352,279.20 through its Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP) for the reconstruction of a new school two-story building consisting of 16 classrooms, Principal’s Room and a toilet block at its new location.

UNVEILING OF THE PROJECT’S PLAQUE: Afioga Tofaeono Iupati Fuatai, President of Moata’a Primary School and H.E. Mr. SENTA Keisuke, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Samoa.

Moata’a Primary School was founded in 1952 and the former school building was in place in the 1980s and has been serving the village school for the past 40 plus years.

The building has survived many natural disasters and has undergone several major repair works which became more costly for the village and School Committee to maintain.

The rebuilding and relocation of the Moata’a school building was initiated in 2018 when the current school principal Vailili Tito first arrived to find the old school an unfitting educational environment for the children.

“The ceilings were falling off, no windows, environment was unhealthy for the children,” Tito explained.

The old school location is also well known for flooding during the wet season and the water reaches inside the classrooms.

The new location was reclaimed and the foundation of the school building was elevated to 1 meter high to be safe from flooding.

CONGRATULATIONS FUTURE LEADERS OF SAMOA: Ambassador H.E. Mr. SENTA Keisuke sharing a smile with the happy students of Moata’a Primary School.

In 2018, only 259 students were enrolled at Moataa Primary School and 70 percent of the students were from villages outside Moataa.

To date, the school roll has increased to 534 students.

The opening ceremony concluded with the village and the school’s traditional thanks of gifts and refreshment to thank the government of Japan, government of Samoa as well as all donors and the Good Samaritans who helped fund the construction of the new school building.