Wide eyed and fascinated, the 1000 plus school children who came to the University of the South Pacific Open Day, had a chance to look at what the future holds for them.

In this day and age, the importance of tertiary education cannot be stressed enough. It is not just any tertiary education that will do but quality education.

This is what the nation needs in order to move forward and fill the gaps in the labour market.

Samoa needs doctors, nurses, engineers, qualified people in the agricultural sector and other fields which require tertiary qualified and experienced people.

Tertiary education benefits not just the individual, but society as a whole. Graduates of tertiary education are more environmentally conscious, have healthier habits, and have a higher level of civic participation.

Also, increased tax revenues from higher earnings, healthier children, and reduced family size all build stronger nations. In short, tertiary education institutions prepare individuals not only by providing them with adequate and relevant job skills, but also by preparing them to be active members of their communities and societies.

According to the World Bank, the economic returns for tertiary education graduates are the highest in the entire educational system – an estimated 17 per cent increase in earnings as compared with 10 per cent for primary and 7 per cent for secondary education.

There are two issues that need to be looked at. First is access to education and ensuring that all Samoan children are able to finish secondary education and get the opportunity to go to tertiary institutions.

Secondly, there should be more scholarships for higher studies at the USP. So far there is only provision for the Top 15 students to go to USP or the Fiji National University. These are full scholarships. In comparison, there are 50 full scholarships and 50 partial scholarships for the National University of Samoa.

If Samoa is to have a qualified and skilled workforce, then the scholarship for further studies at recognised tertiary institutions should increase. The government should seriously look at increasing scholarships.

Work also needs to be done to entice students to take up studies which will help Samoa or where there is a shortage. For example, of the 20 agriculture scholarships on offer for the USP, there are less than 50 per cent who actually take up the study.

Agriculture is the future and food security will play a vital role in years to come, yet students do not want to get their hands dirty.

But before we can reach there, the first step is to eliminate the educational inequality that exists in this nation.

Educational inequality is the unequal distribution of academic resources, including but not limited to school funding, qualified and experienced teachers, books, and technologies, to socially excluded communities. These communities tend to be historically disadvantaged and oppressed.

The first thing to do is to make education accessible. Have budgetary allocations so parents do not have to pay fees which are exorbitant. How many children in Samoa are ending up becoming street vendors or carwash employees because their parents cannot afford to send them to schools.

The other area to look at is filling the gaps in schools with qualified teachers. The basics from the primary school level should be set right so when children progress, they do with the skill sets which are learnt at each level.

In education, the term access typically refers to the ways in which educational institutions and policies ensure—or at least strive to ensure—that students have equal and equitable opportunities to take full advantage of their education.

Increasing access generally requires schools to provide additional services or remove any actual or potential barriers that might prevent some students from equitable participation in certain courses or academic programs.

Factors such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, perceived intellectual ability, past academic performance, special-education status, English-language ability, and family income or educational-attainment levels—in addition to factors such as relative community affluence, geographical location, or school facilities—may contribute to certain students having less “access” to educational opportunities than other students.

The million tala grant to each of the districts can be focused on education and health services first. Pay school fees for all students attending schools within the district and pay salaries of teachers to fill in the gaps where there is a shortage of teachers.

We can talk about it, hold multi-faceted conferences and write up research papers but nothing will happen if the step is not taken immediately.

How many positions in the Samoa workforce require the hiring of expatriates because Samoa does not have the qualified people to fill in the gaps? Increase the amount of scholarships so more Samoans can go to USP and members of parliament can really make a change at the grassroots level by focusing the proper use of grants.

Education is the only way to battle poverty and help Samoa grow into a much more developed nation, steps have to be taken. It is time for action and not words.