Teachers from a school for children with special needs, who have not been paid for close to three months, have returned to classes and will continue teaching until the end of this month.

Loto Taumafai Principal, Vaiana Otto, told the Samoa Observer on Friday they had a meeting on Monday this week and agreed to continue their classes for the sake of the children while hoping their three months outstanding wages will be settled.

She said she is thankful that the teachers, who threatened to go on strike last week, agreed to return to classes for the benefit of the special school’s 105 students.

According to the school’s Principal, they held a meeting with the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture (M.E.S.C.) and were advised that the teachers’ wages are still being processed by the Ministry of Finance.

Mrs Otto told this newspaper that she hopes her teachers’ wages will be paid as they also have their own families to take care of.

A Loto Taumafai staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Samoa Observer that they will revert to strike action if their wages are not paid by the Ministry by the end of this month.

However, Mrs Otto is keen to avoid strike action and last week lamented the students missing a week of lessons due to the strike action by the teachers.

The  Loto Taumafai Board also met last Thursday with the disgruntled staff after they walked off their jobs. However, School Board Chairman Tagaloasa Uili Matafeo refused to comment when contacted by the Samoa Observer, and instead denied the teachers were on strike and would be back on classes on Monday this week.

 The school was established in 1981 and is run and managed by one of Samoa’s oldest non-government organisations that currently works to improve the lives of people with disabilities.