“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to helping students, teachers and parents raise the level of educational achievement,” said Sapele Fa’alogo, the Church’s Samoa national director of public affairs, ahead of a press conference in Apia this afternoon.
The Church owns and maintains 15 schools in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Kiribati. It also holds regular after-school tutoring programs in Vanuatu, among other education-based initiatives across the South Pacific.
Last month the Pacific Area Presidency of the Church released a video which outlines Latter-day Saint principles and efforts with respect to lifting educational aspiration and achievement across the region.
In the video, the Church leaders spoke about a new resource called, “Success in School Begins at Home,” which is available for students, teachers and parents throughout the South Pacific.
Copies of the booklet can be requested through local Latter-day Saint leaders. It is also available online at Pacific.LDS.org in English, Samoan, Tongan, French, Tahitian, Fijian, Bislama, Kiribati and Marshallese.
The Church also partners with government ministries and NGOs to lift educational standards across the region.
John McLean and Callum Blair—who are trustees of one such NGO, Furniture for Schools Charitable Trust—are visiting Samoa this week to survey the impact of donated school equipment and supplies.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has partnered with Furniture for Schools by shipping educational equipment, books and other supplies from New Zealand to various islands in the Pacific.
Latter-day Saint volunteers support these efforts by loading and unloading shipping containers before donations are delivered to schools.
Watch a video about Latter-day Saints and education: