Panama faces significant challenges in its education system after two years of inadequate maintenance. The return to in-person learning revealed school facilities in an even more deteriorated state, coupled with a surge in student enrollment as parents, having lost income, can no longer afford private schools. An estimated 28,000 students migrated from private to public schools between 2021 and 2022. The execution of the Ministry of Education's (MEDUCA) investment budget for 2025 reached only 39%, as reported by the current minister to the National Assembly. In 2022, the school dropout rate increased by 60%, and by 2023, approximately 120,000 children and adolescents were out of the school system. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated gender inequality, leading to a rise in female school dropouts, especially in indigenous communities, and an increase in domestic violence reports. The economic crisis has fueled unemployment and informality, which reached 49.3% of the employed population in 2024. The Gini index, a measure of inequality, stood at 49% in 2023, the highest in Central America. In this context, popular movements in Panama, including labor unions led by SUNTRACS, student organizations, and indigenous groups, have become increasingly active in fighting for social justice and against corruption. The author, a sociologist and professor at the University of Panama, concludes that addressing inequality requires transformative structural changes and a move away from the neoliberal paradigm to build a dignified life for all.
Social Inequality and Education Crisis in Panama
In Panama, the post-pandemic era has exacerbated crises in education and social inequality. Public schools are overcrowded, poverty and informal labor are on the rise, and gender inequality has reached critical levels. Social movements are fighting for change.
