The construction of the new Vaigaga Primary School, a multi-million tala investment under the Samoa Pacific Resilience Project (PREP), is on track for completion by 30 June 2024. 

The anticipated handover of the facility is set for August 2024, according to a recent announcement by the Minister of Public Enterprises and Member of Parliament for Faleata No.2, Leatinu'u Wayne So'oialo.

This update follows a site visit earlier this month by the Tenders Board Committee, which included key government officials: Minister of Finance, Lautimuia Uelese Va'ai, Minister of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure (M.W.T.I.), Olo Fiti Va'ai, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, along with stakeholders from Zheng Construction and OSM Consultant.

The new Vaigaga Primary School is being constructed as part of Samoa’s broader effort to enhance its infrastructure’s resilience against climate change. Valued at $5.8 million, this project is a significant component of PREP, which aims to retrofit or rebuild vulnerable schools to meet established resilience standards.

Vaigaga Primary School has a rich history, initially established in 1960 with a simple stone house used by church ministers to educate village children. The school saw its first modernized building in 1984, which served the community until a 2019 risk assessment identified it as one of the most vulnerable school buildings.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa highlighted the project's significance during the groundbreaking ceremony in November 2023. "This project is an important contribution to our national efforts to build resilient infrastructure to respond to the detrimental effects of climate change," she stated. "Climate change is the single biggest threat to the livelihoods, resources, and well-being of humanity across the globe. Small island countries like Samoa are more vulnerable to unprecedented impacts of climate change."

The Samoa Pacific Resilience Project, supported by the World Bank, exemplifies the government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure as part of its social development priorities outlined in the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (PDS). This initiative focuses on enhancing national literacy and numeracy rates from early childhood through primary education, while also ensuring the safety and well-being of students.

The Prime Minister emphasised the dual function of the new Vaigaga school building, which will also serve as a disaster evacuation site for the community. “This project attests to the need for genuine partnerships at all levels to accomplish our set goals in the PDS. We are grateful to the World Bank for its assistance through PREP in constructing more resilient and safe school buildings for selected villages in Samoa,” said Fiame.