Panama's Education Minister Announces New Education Reform

Minister of Education Lucy Molinar stated that President José Raúl Mulino announced a reform to the Education Law, raising many questions about the path the Executive Branch will take to achieve this goal. She clarified that this is not a reform of the 1946 law but a new law that aims to improve the entire system from preschool to universities. The minister emphasized that this is more than a reform; it is a modification of the education structure to make the system serve the students and the future of the country. "It's not about changing a law by adding a comma or a period, it's about creating a brand new system," Molinar said on the 'Open Debate' program. "The Panamanian education system must be at the service of our youth," the official expressed. She detailed that the new regulation will include administrative, academic, innovation, human resources, and suggestion chapters, under which all received communication is being tabulated. In turn, she guaranteed that it will be a fast and concrete working process in which all aspects of the educational system will be addressed. Molinar assured that the reform will not be a political battleground, as it will be done in a participatory manner because, she said, they have a president who will not give in to blackmail. In this sense, the Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, explained that the education system is operating under a 1946 law, from an era when there were no computers or the internet, so she considers it necessary to create a legal framework that allows the system to keep up with the times and revolve around the student. She added that the authorities are meeting with all groups of organized civil society, and work teams have been created to draft priorities and define a roadmap. According to Molinar, it is a framework law so that the system can modernize and update with a certain margin of flexibility. These contributions will be compiled in February, and those in charge will meet in the Presidency with the input from each sector. The information will be organized to create a first document and corrections will be made. She indicated that the directors' councils will also have their space to make their contributions. "We have an opportunity, let's take it so we don't ruin the lives of our young people, and that is a very high price," she emphasized.