Panamanian President Announces School Year with Near-100% School Readiness

According to the president, the school year is beginning with nearly 100% of schools ready, a achievement accomplished with the help of the Penitentiary System, whose inmates have worked to compensate for their sentences by painting and repairing roofs in various schools across the country. The president wished students the best, adding that he has given full support to the Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, with the goal of making this school year calm and without interruptions like last year, when, he said, education was mixed with politics and the school year was almost lost. During this period, teachers did not receive their salaries for the days they did not work, and several were replaced for not attending educational centers. A 'calm' school year, where young people study and teachers teach, is what President José Raúl Mulino expects for the 2026 school period. He also emphasized the importance of parents getting involved in their children's education. He expressed his pleasure at hearing in the news that educators were taking their training course and stating they are ready to receive students 'with open arms'. Mulino trusts that teachers and professors will make the effort to give classes. 'If parents don't pay attention to their children in school, it's useless for them to go to school,' he indicated. He warned that the school can also become a 'breeding ground for problems' for students, especially with the temptations that surround many areas. 'There is nothing on the horizon at the moment that should hinder that teaching-learning process,' he emphasized. It should be recalled that in 2025, educators held a two-month strike in rejection of the law that reformed the Social Security Fund (CSS).