For Cañizales, the answer lies with the National Council for University Evaluation and Accreditation of Panama (CONEAUPA), the entity responsible for accreditation in the country. The UPAM case is no longer just about the closure of a university. Beyond the closure, the country faces a scenario of uncertainty regarding the value of the degrees issued and the effectiveness of state controls. In this context, the teacher and former Minister of Education Miguel Ángel Cañizales warns that what happened is not an isolated incident, but a reflection of structural failures in supervision. «Lack of supervision by MEDUCA. According to sources consulted, there is no clear figure on the number of UPAM graduates, which adds an additional element of opacity to the case. Supervision under scrutiny The former minister was categorical in assessing the state's actions. However, in the academic field and in public universities, it can become a key requirement. Even, he warned that some institutions may require prior accreditation to allow the continuation of studies, which places many graduates in an uncertain situation. To this uncertainty is added the lack of public information. There is a third-level directorate that should address higher education», he stated, directly pointing to the Ministry of Education as the control body. Beyond the closure, the debate now focuses on the real value of the degrees issued and the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms. Titles: not all are worth the same One of the most immediate effects falls on the graduates. The focus is now on the system: how it is supervised, who is accountable, and what guarantees students have in Panama. The publication UPAM Case: Titles with Unequal Value and State Failures in the Sight was first published in La Verdad Panamá. Regarding the economic aids granted by the Institute for Training and Human Resource Utilization (IFARHU), Cañizales considered that they should have been avoided. «A criterion should be accreditation, because it is a form of accountability», he indicated. An isolated case? The possibility that other institutions are in similar conditions remains open. «Without a doubt, state supervision failed. According to Cañizales, in the private sector, accreditation is not always decisive. «That university always had many kinds of problems», he stated. His statements reinforce the perception that the irregularities were known, but not addressed in a timely manner. Public funds under the microscope The use of state resources adds another element of concern. Javier Collins Agnew / La Verdad Panamá The case of the Panamerican University (UPAM) enters its most delicate phase: the consequences.
