A teacher at the Instituto Comercial Panamá decided to chain herself in front of the Regional Education Directorate in central Panamá to denounce irregularities, including labor and psychological violence, as well as harassment at the institution. The irregularities mentioned by the educator involve the school's director, Marco Aurelio Ortega. According to the teacher, there have been seven complaints against the highest authority of the center, filed with the Regional Directorate of Education since 2022, and none have been resolved. The professor stated that she is a psychiatric patient and has special needs in a video that went viral on social media. "I am tired and I can't take it anymore," she said. Deli Sánchez, another teacher supporting the action, indicated that she was separated from her position at the Instituto Comercial Panamá for participating in the teachers' strike. "I have complaints against the director since 2023 and they have not been resolved. We are tired of this harassment and this bullying," she declared. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (Meduca) indicated that immediate action was taken in response to the incident. "From the first moment, the educator was urged to refrain from this action, and the accompaniment of the Ombudsman's Office and the National Police was requested, in order to ensure adequate protection conditions." Despite the approach, the teacher chose to maintain the measure, according to the Meduca communiqué, which also indicates that it is not the first time she has resorted to these actions in disciplinary situations: "On repeated occasions, educational authorities have sought an approach to discourage this type of action, reminding her that, as a public servant, she has the obligation to comply with the law, just as the Ministry does, and that said compliance cannot be conditioned by media pressure or actions that put her integrity at risk." Finally, the authorities made it clear that "any additional decision will be the responsibility of the educator, in accordance with the norms governing the educational service." "It is not fair that I am psychologically mistreated, persecuted, and harassed at work. Enough is enough."
