A senior educator believes teachers not doing their jobs well may be the cause of the student's poor results and performance.

Maiava Asafo Mamoe is urging the Ministry of Education and Culture to provide more training for teachers regularly.

"Last year, our minister and CEO shared that our education percentage is still going down. And I agree, I don't know if there was a year where I heard our education standards have increased," he said. 

"Like I said, the reason is teachers are not doing their job well. There is a division at MEC called Subject Organisers, this should be their time. They should meet with the teachers and train them. 

"If they use these annual meetings for such training then perhaps changes will be seen in our education system.

"Another thing, during this annual meeting I have never heard of them paying respect or tribute to those teachers who have passed on. A moment of silence to remember them and their service. They also served Samoa through education, I'm just saying.

"If you look at me I am quite old, but I have heard and witnessed a teacher who gives wrong teachings to students."

Maiava has been in the teaching industry for more than five decades. He believes that there is no other reason for this problem other than teachers failing to deliver their courses. 

"Children are not learning well. The meetings held annually at the end of the year to prepare for the start of the academic year, are not enough. These meetings are done with people who are working in the ministry, where they deliver presentations for teachers, well that may be important in a way that helps improve and better a teacher's career in terms of their conduct, language, and other aspects," he said. 

"It is useful for the teacher but not the student. The only thing that will help our students succeed is when they are being taught well and right. For instance, if it's English, students should be able to identify a noun, what it means, what type of noun, and that sort of thing. So when exams come, students are well prepared, and they will be able to lift the percentage of education in Samoa."

For 2024, a total of 3,937 students sat the national examination. Of these, 1,524 students achieved the required 200 aggregate mark for admission to NUS, combining English with their best three subjects. This represented a noticeable drop compared to 2023, when 1,309 students, or 65 per cent of the 2,021 exam takers, met the NUS admission criteria.

In addition, 1,347 students passed and are eligible for enrollment in NUS' Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs. Unfortunately, 370 students did not pass, failing to qualify for admission to either NUS or TVET. The CEO of Education in an interview early February, A’eau Christopher Hazelman emphasised the urgency of addressing these challenges to better prepare students for both higher education and the workforce.