We are living in the 21^st century and are surrounded by marvels of engineering and technical feats yet we cannot ensure continuous water supply to a school.

It is rather concerning to note that because of no clean running water Lauli'i Primary School has had to shut down.

A parent expressed concern at the frequent shutdown and even more worrying is the fact that raising this issue could lead to the banishment of this parent. Hiding a problem will not make it go away. Out of sight out of mind, it is not that simple.

She has a genuine concern that her children's learning has been greatly impacted because of the closure of the school.

The village has its own water supply and they do not rely on the Samoa Water Authority, that is all good however we are living in a time when we have access to engineers, tools and materials to solve this problem.

It seems that this is a recurring issue. Did the local Member of Parliament add this to his list of projects under the District Development Project for which $1 million is allocated? If he did not then it is about time that ink that in and make it the top most priority.

Water is a basic need. Continuous supply of clean water also ensures the health and well-being of the more than 2000 people that live in Lauli’i.  

Education is very important and if it is being affected by water supply then the experts should be called in. Let SWA do a proper water supply system to the school.

The World Bank in its latest report on the state of Pacific Islands including Samoa said the productivity in Samoa is very low. The report said this was because children were not getting access to education.

This is a fine example of how education for children is being affected. If heavy rain affects the water supply in the village and to the school, we should expect the children to attend school for only a third of the school year.

The school had sought the assistance of the village's leadership – to have access to a good supply of clean water for the school to avoid further closures – but to no avail.

The school administration has tried but now the onus is on the leaders in this village. What does the leadership of this village value? Do they think education is of no use therefore the water supply issue to the school is a thing they can deal with?

Education should be priority number one and in this case, to maintain that priority the water supply to the school must be looked at with urgency. While the leaders take their time and sit on this, the people who are being affected are the children.

They need to be in school so they are given the same learning opportunity as other children in Samoa. The children do not mind the extra holidays they are getting but in terms of education, they are being disadvantaged.

If the MP from the area cannot look into this, hopefully the Ministry of Education can work something out. It has to be done urgently.

There is one more thing the Samoa Observer wishes to clarify, we report without fear or favour. If there are incidents where members of the public, in this case the children, are being affected, we will raise it by highlighting the issue.

A member of the Lauli'i School Committee, who lives next to the school compound, approached this newspaper on Thursday and asked the reporter to refrain from writing any report about the situation.

He said this newspaper would have to seek "official permission" from either the village mayor or the high chief of the village.

What is there to hide? There is a problem and once it is accepted, it can be dealt with. The matter is being highlighted because the children are being deprived of their right to education.

It seems that in this case, the problem is not a new one. Put the children first, think of their education and solve this issue.