Building education system resilience in Samoa: systems, policies, and practices that foster equitable learning

Introduction The COVID-19 crisis caused unprecedented levels of disruption to education systems worldwide. Government response strategies have varied across the Pacific region, however, experience from the measles lockdown prompted the Government of Samoa (GoS) to act quickly. While studies have been conducted by GoS on access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been any studies to examine the systematic impact on learning outcomes, student and teacher wellbeing or preparedness of the education system to respond to such disruptions. Given the potential for future health emergencies and extreme weather events, the GoS recognizes the need to build greater capacity of the education system to respond to, and be resilient to, future crises. Methods This study uses a mixed methods approach with activities including policy mapping, secondary analysis of PILNA data, interviews, focus groups, and observations. An original analytical framework was developed to guide the investigation of the research questions and consider the intersections between policy, school, teacher, parent and student indicators that contribute to a resilient education system. Results The study found that while education disruptions due to the measles outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in the Samoan education system, there are also opportunities to leverage existing innovative practices and adaptations to support long term system improvement and resilience. Discussion This study has provided opportunities to look at the Samoan education system differently by examining the impact of health crises on teaching and learning, and what can be learned to create conditions for enhancing education system resilience to prepare for future school disruptions.