13 Jun 2008

American Samoa education to get a temporary boost from Harvard volunteers

3:16 pm on 13 June 2008

The American Samoa Department of Education will get a boost in the number of classroom teachers when the new school year begins with the help of volunteer teachers from WorldTeach, an NGO based at Harvard's Center for International Development.

The Territory's Education Director, Dr. Claire Poumele, says these volunteer teachers, who are all highly qualified and certified, will be a great asset.

Dr Poumele says the 20 volunteer teachers are scheduled to arrive July 19 and at least five volunteers will be sent to schools in Manu'a.

The presence of the volunteers will allow more teachers in Manu'a to pursue their teaching degrees through courses at the American Samoa Community College.

The DOE plans to place more than half of the volunteers at elementary schools to address problem subjects such as reading and mathematics.