This Monday, March 2, the national education system reactivates with the return to classrooms of more than 876,000 students, representing one of the state's largest annual logistical deployments. According to the Ministry of Education (Meduca), a total of 876,605 students will start the 2026 school year, of which 737,200 belong to the public sector and 139,405 to the private system. Teachers ready… almost all. To serve this student population, Meduca ensures that more than 52,000 teachers will be in their positions from day one, with a coverage level close to 99%. Even the appointment process included the incorporation of more than 3,100 educators through competition, as part of the effort to reduce vacancies, especially in hard-to-reach areas. Schools: 99.5% ready, but not all. Regarding infrastructure, the picture is mostly positive… but not perfect. There are 3,112 educational centers nationwide, 3,099 schools will open on March 2, 13 campuses will not be ready to start. This equates to a 99.5% operational rate, while the pending campuses, mainly located in indigenous regions and remote areas like Darién and Ngäbe Buglé, will start classes days or weeks later under alternative modalities. Million-dollar investment… and pending debts. The start of the school year comes with an infrastructure investment that includes: more than 130 projects underway, interventions on roofs, water, and classrooms, use of temporary facilities where works have not been completed. Despite these advances, Meduca itself recognizes that challenges in maintenance persist, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas. A start under pressure. The return to class not only tests the state's logistical capacity but also the effectiveness of educational policies amid historical demands for infrastructure, teacher quality, and equitable access. With more than 876,000 students and tens of thousands of teachers on the move, Panama turns on its education system again… with the expectation that this time the numbers will add up not just on paper, but in the classrooms.
