Office of the Ombudsman, Samoa‘s National Human Rights Institution Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child – September 2015 35. Therefore, the Samoan Government has a clear responsibility in providing primary education which is completely free, including reducing the amount of incidental costs that are associated with school-aged children attending school. Recommendation 5: That the Samoan Government assist in reducing the incidental costs of education so that primary education in Samoa can be completely free. 36. Furthermore, the Government needs to address the increasing problem of declining participation rates for secondary school aged children. Participation rates for ages to 15-19 have remained below 60% since 200519, with highest rates of drop-outs occurring during years 12 and 13.20 37. The SSFGS was extended to secondary schools in August 2013. Like its primary school counterpart, the Secondary School Fee Grant Scheme seeks to improve the quality, access and retention of students by removing school fees for students in years 9-11 in 36 government and mission colleges in Samoa.21 38. The NHRI welcomes the government‘s SSFGS secondary school initiative which aims to increase the participation rate for years 9-13 to 85%.22 It also welcomes the Government‘s Technical, Educational and Vocational Training programmes in secondary schools as a way of enticing secondary schoolaged children to remain in school. 39. According to the Government‘s Statistical Digest 201423, there has been an improvement in the participation rate between primary years 8 to secondary year 9 for the 2014 school year. According to the government this is directly attributable to the SSFGS. If this is the case then it is important that the Secondary School SSFGS also address the incidental costs of education if the Samoan Government is serious about raising the participation rate of secondary school aged children. 7.1 40. Children with disabilities - Education Important efforts have been made in Samoa towards ensuring that policy settings are in place to allow equal access of persons with disability to education. The Education Act 2009 provides that students with disabilities are not only included in compulsory primary education, but also receive appropriate education. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the 19 It was reported 56% in 2014. Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture, Educational Statistical Digest 2014, available at http://mesc.gov.ws/pdf/Stats%20Digest%20Draft%202014_FINAL_Core.pdf [accessed 1 September 2015] at 11. 20 Ibid. 21 st MESC, ‗Samoa School Fee Grant Scheme – Secondary‘ [1 Annual Report July 2013-2014] at page 5 22 Ibid page 7. 23 http://www.mesc.gov.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=157 [accessed at 7 September 2015] 13