21 st February 2022: Apia, Samoa
The Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (MESC) Lifelong Learning Lab is progressing well to be an
innovation hub in Samoa.
The Lifelong Learning Lab, a key piece of the Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative under the auspice of
the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture and supported by the India-UN development Partnership
Fund received its ICT equipment from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO). The ICT equipment worth Samoan Tala 186,209.586 (USD 72,909.00) was
handed over to the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture on 16 th February 2022. This brings the
current value of assets transferred from UNESCO to the MESC Lifelong Learning Lab to Samoan Tala
238,144.286. The Ministry is the technical co-lead of this initiative together with UNESCO, is progressing
well in finalising the setup of the Lifelong Learning Lab. The ICT equipment for the Lifelong Learning Lab
will allow a diverse team of equal users and participants to learn, create, experiment, and develop
solutions across the Samoan Society (Education, Health, and Agriculture).
(At Center from left: Dr. Karoline Afamasaga-Fuata'I (MESC CEO), Dr. Simona Marinescu (UN Resident
Coordinator:), Back from left: Mr Roland Sherwood (UNESCO), Youle Beatty (UN Resident Coordinator
Office), Ms Mamea Vau Peseta (MESC Deputy CEO), Ms.’ Tuaopepe Perenise Tinei’ (MESC Deputy CEO),
Dr Aya Aoki (UNESCO), Mr Varunesh Rao (UNESCO)
Speaking about the Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative’s Lifelong Learning Lab, Dr Karoline Afamasaga-
Fuata’I, Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry, said: “The Government of Samoa commits to building
digital citizens capacity through high-quality ICT Education, applicable technology, and access to Open
Education Resources. This is in fulfilment of Key Outcome 11 of the Strategy for the Development of
Samoa, aimed at achieving universal access to reliable and affordable ICT services. The MESC Lifelong
Learning Lab will be a pilot and provide a model and a testbed that can then be scaled out across Samoa
to build ICT capacity, nurture entrepreneurship and create digital citizens that are empowered to
contribute, sustain and demonstrate lifelong learning.”
The UN Resident Coordinator Dr Simona Marinescu, while handing over the ICT equipment, thanked the
Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States for working
together to bring the project to this phase. Dr Marinescu remarked that access to appropriate reliable,
affordable, and modern technologies is critical to achieving educational objectives for the MESC and
nurturing an environment that provides incentives for innovation and entrepreneurship and that
science, technology and innovation are essential enablers and drivers for sustainable development.
The Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative aims to help build inclusive knowledge societies by ensuring
public access to information that allows participation in decision-making at all levels. It supports a
number of measures from policy to capacity-building in access to information, open-source, open
access, and from establishing a digital library at the National University of Samoa to setting up a Lifelong
Learning Lab with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture. The Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative
is geared to help Samoa progress on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, Indicator 16.10.2 on
the access to information by creating an enabling environment for enhanced
digital development. Noting the link between the SDG 16 and SDG 4, Ms.
Nisha, Director of the Office and UNESCO Representative to the Pacific
States, observed: “A Knowledge Society is a multi-pillar concept, and lifelong
learning is one of the foundational pillars of a knowledge society. In Samoa,
this concept being applied through this initiative promotes lifelong learning
for teachers, education policymakers, and students of all ages as critical for
the attainment of many other SDGs. Digital developments is possible only
through the preparedness of the education sector and lifelong learning
among stakeholders that match fast-evolving digital technologies. The MESC Lifelong learning lab will be
an inclusive innovation hub for training and collaboration that draws and identifies talents, mentors
youths, provides accessible learning opportunities to the disabled, and provides pathways and skills
required to meet the contemporary and future challenges of Samoa within the globalised economy.”
The Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative is financed by the India-UN Development Partnership Fund,
which is administered by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. UNESCO developed
this initiative in close cooperation with Ms. Simona Marinescu, UN Resident Coordinator for Samoa
Multi-Country Offices’ cluster, and a range of stakeholders.