Sāmoa approves millions in school payout as funding questions remain

Sāmoa’s government has signed off on a nationwide cash payment to help families with back-to-school costs.

Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt says every person in the country will be eligible for assistance from February.

The move has been welcomed as relief for households facing rising costs, but it has also raised questions after no clear funding source was outlined in the government’s latest Budget.

Laaulialemalietoa announced that Cabinet had approved a ST$32.25 million (NZ$19.7m) assistance package aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures at the start of the school year.

Speaking at a national teachers’ conference on Monday, which was livestreamed on social media, the Prime Minister said the payment would be distributed through district councils, with every person in Sāmoa, from newborns to adults, eligible to receive about ST$150 (NZ$91).

The Prime Minister said families faced the greatest financial pressure at the beginning of the year due to school fees, uniforms, transport, and other education-related costs.

PM Laaulialemalietoa said Sāmoa's Cabinet approved the multi-million tālā payout over the weekend. Photo/Savali Newspaper

He said Cabinet had considered spreading the payments over several months but decided immediate support was most effective.

“This assistance will not only benefit children, parents, and guardians, but the whole population,” he said.

He has directed District Development Programme offices, known as Fono Faavae, to work with village councils to verify recipient lists and ensure payments reach eligible residents.

Communities across Sāmoa can now expect about $91 per person in a cash payout from government in February. Photo/Anetone Sagaga

The Prime Minister said the rollout would depend on the accuracy of those lists. The payment is expected to be made in February once district-level checks are completed.

He also said a separate payout from the Sāmoa National Provident Fund would be announced by 30 January, though that assistance will apply only to fund contributors.

While the payout has been positioned as part of a wider cost-of-living support, questions remain about how it will be funded.

The Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) government’s 2025–26 Budget, branded as a “People’s Budget”, prioritises social protection, education and grassroots development, including higher spending on pensions, disability benefits, scholarships, and district funding.

But the Budget does not explicitly provide for a one-off nationwide cash payout of this scale.

There is no specific line item detailing a universal per-person payment, nor any published explanation of whether the NZ$19.7m will be drawn from existing district allocations, treated as unforeseen expenditure, or funded through reallocation within the current fiscal plan.

Watch the opening of the Fono Faavae office for Gagaifomauga II in Savaii in 2023:

Similarly, the FAST party’s 2026-2031 manifesto commits to strengthening social protection and delivering assistance through village and district structures, but does not specifically promise universal cash payments to the entire population.

The government has not yet publicly clarified the funding mechanism for the payout.

Requests for clarification have been sent to the government press office, including questions about the source of the funds, whether parliamentary approval is required, and what transparency or auditing measures will apply to the distribution process.