Panama’s Education System Collapses After 500 Days of Lost Classes

Panama’s education system faces a severe crisis as students have lost nearly 500 days of in-person classes due to pandemic disruptions and ongoing teacher strikes.

Education specialist Nivia Rossana Castrellón reports that approximately 465 days of classes were lost through previous disruptions, with additional suspensions in 2025 pushing the total to almost 500 days.

The current crisis deepened on April 23, 2025, when teachers began an indefinite strike against Law 462, which reforms the Social Security Fund. The strike has continued for nearly a month with no resolution in sight.

Education Minister Lucy Molinar suspended all classes nationwide on April 28 due to safety concerns amid reports of harassment against non-striking teachers.

The educational impact appears devastating. Before the pandemic, Panama already struggled with poor academic performance. PISA 2022 results show Panamanian 15-year-olds scored 392 in reading and 388 in science, significantly below OECD averages of 476 and 485 respectively.

Only 16% of students achieved minimum proficiency in mathematics, compared to the OECD average of 69%. Digital inequality worsens the situation.

CIEDU data reveals only 40% of public school students have internet access at home and just 30% have computer access. Nationwide, merely 47% of schools have internet connectivity, and only 52% have potable water.

Panama’s Education Crisis

Jorge Iglesias, President of the Education in Progress Foundation, warns recovery could take 11 years. The crisis affects approximately 900,000 students, with public schools serving 87% of the student population.

The situation has sparked widespread protests. Indigenous communities in Darién province clashed with authorities on May 20, detaining a SENAFRONT agent during demonstrations against the controversial law.

Parents and students in Jaqué blocked an airstrip to protest deteriorating school facilities and teacher shortages. Humberto Montero, spokesperson for the Independent Educators Front, reports that the 2025 school year already began under “precarious conditions” in many schools.

These include infrastructure problems and a lack of materials. The Ombudsman’s Office identified problems in over 490 of 3,102 schools surveyed in 2024.

The education crisis threatens to worsen Panama’s economic outlook as students fall further behind global standards, creating a generation unprepared for future workforce demands.

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