The Institute for the Training and Use of Human Resources (Ifarhu) is developing new payment methods to ensure that the purpose of the Pase-U program is fulfilled. "This is what will essentially allow us to trace the resources being allocated," specified the general director of Ifarhu. "That is why we have the concern that we want to introduce these new modifications," said the Ifarhu authority. "This makes it easier for us as an institution to make a national payment without having to go through the check process, because the check involves many verifications, many controls, logistics, and personnel allocation. Through ACH, we are more efficient in that sense," stated the director of Ifarhu. What Godoy intends is for beneficiaries not to handle cash and commit those resources to what the student needs. Electronic methods Bringing technology to all Ifarhu programs is also a goal that Godoy pursues; for example, now that the General Scholarship Contest has been reactivated. Godoy commented that currently they cannot determine how parents and their guardians use the funds from the social program. "What we want now, with the new methods, is that in the end, people with the resources can only buy supplies, food, transportation, and uniforms. This guarantees that the purpose of the program is being fulfilled," expressed Carlos Godoy, general director of Ifarhu. "As a National Government, we must begin to render accounts, and one way to do so is to determine the uses of that money," clarified the official. The use of ACH as a technological tool is being evaluated.
"The problem is that many people, when they receive the check, exchange it at the bank or with third parties, and consequently, there is no effective report on how that money is being used. The use of the plastic card would be conditioned on them not being able to withdraw cash, but having to make the purchases. It should be noted that in 15 years of the Pase-U's existence, previously known as the Universal Scholarship, the institution has handled more than 200 million dollars a year in disbursements, which means that an investment of more than 3 billion dollars has been made since the program was created in 2010. Currently, of the 800,000 beneficiary students, only 190,000 receive their Pase-U via ACH, an average of one with a card for every four. This week, until Saturday, February 28, the institution will pay the last tranche of 2025 of the Pase-U to students from Panama Center, Panama East, Panama North, Bugaba, and Puerto Armuelles, the latter two in the province of Chiriquí.
