Over 20,000 students are undertaking their examinations over the next 4-5 weeks, which will start with Year 2s early this month and conclude with Year 13s in the first week of December.

A total of 5,091 students will sit for the Samoa Primary Education Literacy Levels (SPELL) Year 2 exam and another 5,362 for the Year 4 exam.

The Year 6 exam will see 5,270 students go through the assessment while 4,538 will do the Year 8 level examination, which is also known as the Samoa National Assessment of Primary Education (SNAPE), according to a media statement issued on Monday by the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture (M.E.S.C.).

For upcoming exams, a total of 3,553 students will sit for the Year 10 Samoa National Junior Secondary Certificate, which scheduled to commence on 21 November and conclude 8 December 2022. 

For the Year 12 Samoa School Certificate, a total of 2,686 students will sit the exam which also commences 21 November and concludes 1 December 2022. And a total of 2,031 students will take the Year 13 Samoa Secondary Leaving Certificate which starts on 21 November until concludes 2 December 2022.

This data from the M.E.S.C. also includes students attending church and private schools together with Government-run educational institutions. 

A parent of a student, who did not want to be identified, told the Samoa Observer that she is glad to be around to support her children during such a crucial time of their education. 

"So for me to have my kids here with me at this time of the year leading up to exams, I am so thankful to God for his protection and guidance upon the children," said the parent. 

"Exam times for me is making sure they have their required stationery and that they are in good health because I wouldn’t want my children to miss out on any of their exams."

For a lot of parents in Samoa, preparations for their children's exams often starts at night after they are put to bed, with the mothers checking to ensure everything is in order before the day breaks.