Public school teachers began reaching the schools where they will be teaching this year in the Darien province near Panama's border with Colombia, however they are concerned about their safety and security and that they might be assaulted because there is not enough security in the area, after a series of intrusions by Colombian guerrillas. Thirteen teachers were sent to the town of Jaque in the province of Darien, and from there they will travel on the the schools in the remote communities where they will work, and in most cases the only way to get there is by rivers or via boats on the ocean. For some it will take them more than two hours to reach Cocalito, a small coastal fishing village, where the incursion of guerrillas is no secret. Among some of the more distant villages are the schools at Mamey and Guayabito and to get there the teachers have to go over trails and dangerous roads. All teachers will be at their positions and ready to work in time for Monday, 8 March 2010, the start of the new school year, with the hopes that the conflicts in the region don't reach them. (Source: TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: Every year at this time there is a nationwide deployment of public school teachers, who head off into the most remote parts of the country to work. There are small little public schools in even the most remote and hardest to reach areas of the country. The National Air Service has been flying these teachers to the closest airfields all week. From there it's often a canoe ride to a trial head, and then horseback for a couple of hours up a trail to downtown Boondocks. And when they get there, there's often no electricity or drinking water, a general lack of everything, and so on. It's a yearly migration pattern that repeats itself every year at this time. And for the record, traffic in Panama City will be a complete and total cluster on Monday morning, 8 March 2010, so plan accordingly.   

By Alberto Pinto for Mi Diario - There is no turning back. The graduating students will have to return the laptops loaned to them at the beginning of this school year. Yesterday the Deputy Minister of Education, Mirna de Crespo said that students and parents should honor the contract they signed upon receiving the computer. "So that a better Panama will reach all, we must enforce compliance with this agreement because there are others who are waiting for this help," she said. She said that for the next school year there are many students to expect to benefit from having a laptop computer and therefore they must recover all those that were loaned out. The 2010 budget for MEDUCA does not contemplate the purchase of any new laptop computers for this program. The Vice Minister said she was unaware if any students have been threatened with not receiving their grades and graduation documents if they fail to return the computers. "We have only recommended to the school directors that they should enforce compliance with the contracts," she said. The administration of Martin Torrijos loaned about 10,000 computers to graduating students for a year and thus far about 100 have been reported as stolen. (Editor's Comment: This is a good program and it allows graduating high school students access to information technology they otherwise would not have had. But, the government could to it both ways. If students want to keep the computers why not give them very low cost student loans from the Banco Nacional with easy payments. Like, $15 dollars per month for 36 months. That way the students can keep the computers if they want to, and anyone who wants to give them back can. The next batch of graduating students will get new equipment, and off we go.)   

By Rolando David Delgado for El Siglo - The need to transform the education system in Panama grows every day, and a new report grading the eduction systems from across Latin America reveals the poor state of primary education in the country. Panama scored very low in subjects such as Spanish, mathematics and science, compared with other countries in the region such as Cuba, Argentina and Chile, which lead the list of countries with the best educational systems and strategies. The statistics behind the report of the Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study of Learning Achievement (SERCE) were explained yesterday by Arturo Rivera, the National Director of Educational Assessment, who said other countries have invested in technology which has resulted in students having more interest in school and grades. The study looked at some 156 schools, 559 teachers and more than 13 thousand students in third to sixth grade. Importantly, this is the first time Panama has participated in the study which lasted from 2005 to 2007. Panama's Minister for Education, Lucy Molinar, confessed to being alarmed by the results, however, the study is successful she says, because it helps to orient her on the status of the education system and to identify where the system's deficiencies lie. According to Molina, in the summer teachers will be given training in English, mathematics, Spanish, and science as a first step to counter the situation. BEST SYSTEMS - In South America Argentina, Chile, and Colombia are the countries leading the list. In Central America Costa Rica and El Salvador are on top while Panama is in the basement. The only countries worse than Panama are Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. (Editor's Comment: Well, what do you expect when the scumbags who have been managing the public education system here for decades have been more interested in stealing public funds than improving the school system. Again, there's much to do, starting with prosecutions and convictions. The nice part about being on the bottom is there's no place to go but up, right?)   

By Chris Yee for El Siglo - Panama's Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) and the Kuna Indians reached an agreement. The members of the Kuna Yala community in Ustupu decided to release the Regional Director of Education, Flumensio Smith, after they reached an agreement with the Ministry of Education. At 8:00 pm yesterday evening, authorities from MEDUCA and the insurer responsible for the work being done at the school, remained in a meeting to establish dates when the repairs on the school will begin, according to a report released by the Minster of Education, Lucy Molinar. She stressed that repairs to the "Nelé Kantule" school have been pending for more than four years, but it was not until now that the insurance company responsible for the work finally answered the call. Molinar regrets that in Panama problems have to be settled in this way. Smith was deprived of his freedom on Monday, and the condition for his release was the repair the school which is in bad condition. (See Comments)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (279 words)

By Meredith Serracín for La Critica - With tears in her eyes and an explanation about how difficult the decision was for her to make, Lucy Molinar, the anchor of TVN's Channel 2 morning news program, left her colleagues to accept the invitation given by Panama's President-elect Ricardo Martinelli, to become the next Minister of Education. Molinar said she would be meeting today Martinelli, saying "I am at the most difficult moment of my life, but I feel that sometimes you have to take a risk and I am on the verge of doing so," she said. Carlos Staff has been designated as the Vice Minister of Education.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (102 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Today thousands of Panamanian children who attend public schools returned to classes for the 2009 school year, amid widespread allegations of schools not being ready to receive them. This is a news story that seems to repeat itself every year as the Ministry of Education tries to improve how they manage the nation's educational facilities. The fact that there have been four different Ministers of Education during the administration of Martin Torrijos has not helped. The government has thrown a lot of money at school infrastructure and improvements, and most of the complaints stem from poor contract administration, and the failure of contractors to build what they signed up to do. The contractors blame the Ministry of Education for not paying them on time, and the kids are left in the lurch.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By URANIA CECILIA MOLINA for La Prensa - Students in public schools in Panama will spend less time this year in the classroom, and in addition they will only have a short one week break at mid-year. The Minister of Education, Salvador Rodríguez, said yesterday president Martin Torrijos signed Executive Decree Number 15 of 17 February 2009 that determines the dates of this years scholastic calendar. Public schools will begin on Monday 6 April, and will finish on 23 December 2009. Graduating students will finish classes on 18 December and their graduation ceremonies will be held between 28 and 30 December. Students who attend private schools will start classes on 9 March and will finish on 18 December. Graduates will finish classes on 11 December and their graduation ceremonies will be held between December 21 and 23. The Minister said that in the private schools the directors will have the option of dividing the scholastic calendar into two or three month blocks of time, but in the public schools they will only work in two month blocks. Andres Rodriguez, Secretary General of the Association of Professors of the Republic of Panama, announced that they will request this executive decree to be declared invalid, because it violates the basic law on Education. According to Rodriguez, article 30 of this norm prevents the Minister of Education from defining two different scholastic calendars. On the other hand, the minister talked about the subject of repairs to the schools. He said that about 95% of the 500 public schools in Panama in which work is being completed are ready for the start of classes.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (315 words)

By Kathyria Caicedo for Telemetro Reporta - Faced with mounting pressure from parents and teachers to make a decision, it now looks like the 2009 school year might start on 13 April. The Minister of Education Salvador Rodríguez met with Panama's president Martin Torrijos throughout the day yesterday in order to set a date for the start of classes. Due to the late start, classes could run until 22 December 2009. In any case, this week the official calendar will be published.    Click Here To Read The Full Article (89 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The Superior Training Center of the Panamanian National Police received about 85 new cadets, 65 men and 20 women, who will spend the next five years as cadets in officer training. Those who finish the training and graduate will be part of the 12th graduating class from this institution. The mission of the Superior Training Center (CES) is to prepare the future officers of the Panamanian National Police force, within a disciplined superior education system, oriented towards professional excellence, adjusted to the national and institutional reality, based on solid moral and ethical principles that will make the public servant respectful of the national constitution and laws. Upon graduating the cadets will receive the rank of Second Lieutenant in the National Police with a guaranteed job and Bachelor's Degree in Police Public Administration from Panama's National University.

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.