Underpaid and under-resourced. That is the reality most teachers in Samoa have to work with and this year is no exception but they are willing to work for the children of Samoa.

Teachers gathered at the Ministry of Education and Culture for the annual teachers’ conference in an attempt to work with the resources they have and have a successful 2025.

One of the key aims of the conference is to bring back the passion and fun into teaching.

A teacher at Fugalei's Agape Primary School, Solinu'u Samu said the conference served as a reminder to all teachers.

“If we perform our work well, children will reflect the teachers' instructions, therefore we don't have to expect them to do well,” she added.

“Pay is irrelevant to me since I feel that teaching is my divine calling; what counts is that a bright kid learns from me and that they go on to become a doctor or prime minister in the future.

“I know that this is God's way of rewarding me because I don't do anything or labour for money; rather, I do it to help more successful people learn from me.

“Therefore, even if I don't get paid enough, I still have to educate the kids because the benefits would come later. However, educating and allowing them to learn is what the focus is about.”

She said work will not go smoothly at school if there is poor communication between the parents and the pupils. She said this was an area many teachers needed to work at.

Veronica Pasi, 30, is employed at Saint Paul Tafaigata. She said as educators and government employees, the conference as crucial because it serves as a roadmap for this year.

“We are training this year, and we have learnt about three obstacles; Insufficient mass -or resources to carry out our duties as instructors and in the classroom, Skip gradient: we make snap judgments about everything while not carrying out the lessons well, particularly when it comes to teaching the pupils how to read,” she said.

“Misunderstood words: the students' textbooks and the readings contain words they don't understand.

“We all know that teaching is not an easy job, but if teachers' yearly pay increases, it would be a good thing. However, in other respects, it will force them to work just for financial gain and never perform their jobs well.

“I encourage the current NUS students pursuing teaching careers to put in a lot of effort and never give up because if we have succeeded, you will too.

“Given that there is currently a teacher shortage, I encourage students to never give up, follow their passions, and enter the workforce to assist in teaching the next generation of Samoans.”

Efi Alai of Asau College stated the conference was crucial for teachers to prepare for the changes that had taken place.

“Many changes have occurred, and we gained a great deal of knowledge and new abilities from the training that will assist in instructing the children who will be the nation's future,” he said.

“I've been a teacher for 18 years, and the biggest challenge we encounter is the lack of resources. However, the Ministry of Education currently offers a wealth of tools.

“Because of the pay we receive, many student teachers have chosen to go abroad, but I encourage the student teachers to follow their passions, and fulfil their responsibilities as teachers.”