{"id":12996,"date":"2026-05-01T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T22:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=12996"},"modified":"2026-04-30T21:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:05:03","slug":"panama-cabinet-authorizes-education-law-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/panama-cabinet-authorizes-education-law-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Cabinet Authorizes Education Law Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panama’s Council of Cabinet has authorized the Ministry of Education to amend the law requiring 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for public education. The authorization came through Resolution No. 28 dated April 21, 2026. The official document appeared in the Government Gazette on April 28.<\/p>\n

The resolution does not specify what changes the Executive branch will propose. It remains unclear whether the government wants to lower the minimum spending floor. Officials might also replace the current calculation formula or introduce new distribution criteria. The debate now centers on how much Panama should invest in public schools.<\/p>\n

A 2023 reform gave education budgetary priority. Law 362, passed in February 2023, set a minimum public investment equivalent to 7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)<\/a> starting in 2024. That law emerged from a national dialogue process. The so-called single negotiation table in Penonom\u00e9 convened in 2022. It aimed to end nationwide street closures against the administration of Laurentino Cortizo. Various social sectors agreed on the 7 percent target. The Panama National Assembly<\/a> approved the measure one year later.<\/p>\n

“The 7 percent of GDP formula was not real,” Education Minister Lucy Molinar stated in September 2025. “The government was evaluating adjustments.” [Translated from Spanish]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Molinar appeared before the Budget Commission of the National Assembly. She argued that the Ministry of Education does not receive an allocation calculated on that basis. GDP measures the size of the economy, she explained. It does not reflect the actual income available to the state for payroll, investments, public debt, and institutional operations. She warned that applying the literal percentage would weigh heavily on public finances. Her calculations showed it would equal roughly 43 percent of current state revenues. It would also represent about one quarter of total spending by the non-financial public sector.<\/p>\n

“There is not a single budget line item based on GDP,” Molinar said at the time. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n

The official position now points toward replacing a metric tied to economic growth. The alternative would link education funding to actual public revenue availability instead.<\/p>\n

\"Education<\/p>\n

Unspent Funds Raise Questions About Efficiency<\/h2>\n

Nivia Rossana Castrell\u00f3n, president of the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Panama, said the country deserves a clear explanation before any law changes. She pointed to funds already allocated but never used. Between 2018 and 2024, the Ministry of Education of Panama<\/a> left $705.9 million unexecuted. That money was designated for construction, rehabilitation, and improvements of school facilities.<\/p>\n

The figure carries weight given the system’s basic deficiencies. Castrell\u00f3n cited a study by the Ombudsman’s Office covering 449 schools. The study found that 91 percent have infrastructure problems. Some 65 percent experience electrical failures. Limited access to drinking water and maintenance deficiencies add to the challenges.<\/p>\n

“If the Executive’s intention is to reduce the minimum commitment set in law, it would be difficult to justify that given the unresolved needs,” Castrell\u00f3n said. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to figures cited by the activist, the Ministry of Education executed only 7 percent of its investment budget in the first half of 2025. That represented the lowest percentage among all central government institutions. Meanwhile, 340 makeshift ranch-style schools continued operating. Hundreds of schools lacked drinking water, electricity, or basic equipment for adequate classroom instruction.<\/p>\n

The greatest shortages concentrate in indigenous comarcas, Dari\u00e9n, Veraguas, and West Panama. These regions historically receive delayed public investment. The funding often proves insufficient against social demand. Students in many communities attend classes in improvised structures. They use deteriorated furniture and lack stable basic services.<\/p>\n

\"darien\"<\/p>\n

Digital Divide and School Feeding Problems Persist<\/h2>\n

Connectivity gaps affect educational quality across the system. Castrell\u00f3n stated that 60 percent of official schools lack internet access. In numerous high schools focused on information technology, students have never used a computer. The pandemic made the digital divide more visible. Connectivity shifted from being a supplement to becoming a learning necessity.<\/p>\n

Recurring problems with school feeding programs add to the crisis. The education system struggles to deliver consistent meals to students in remote areas. These challenges compound the infrastructure and technology deficits.<\/p>\n

The government now faces a critical choice. It can maintain the 7 percent GDP commitment or shift to a revenue-based formula. The debate will likely intensify when the proposal reaches the National Assembly for consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panama’s Council of Cabinet has authorized the Ministry of Education to amend the law requiring 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for public education. The authorization came through Resolution No. 28 dated April 21, 2026. The official document appeared in the Government Gazette on April 28. The resolution does not specify what changes the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,34],"tags":[4046,4044,4045,4047],"class_list":{"0":"post-12996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics-government","8":"category-living","9":"tag-gdp-education-spending","10":"tag-panama-cabinet-authorizes-education","11":"tag-panama-education-law","12":"tag-panama-education-spending"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12996"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12997,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12996\/revisions\/12997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}