VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHZP #1628/01 2302106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY ADDED CAPTION AD00F68F9 MSI4158 508)
R 182106Z AUG 06 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8784
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PANAMA 001628 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY - SIPDIS ADDED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SCUL SOCI
SUBJECT: PUBLIC EDUCATION IN PANAMA 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. Panama's Minister of Education Miguel Angel Canizalez 
called July 27 for educational reforms at all 
levels--including elementary, middle, and high schools--in 
order to remain competitive. Canizales' remarks were in step 
with President Torrijos' proclaimed desire to advance 
educational reforms as an essential element to building a 
better future for Panama. Recent visits by POLINTERN to three 
Panama City schools, however, underscore the dire condition 
of Panama's public schools system and highlight the 
significant problems that must be surmounted to turn around 
Panama's lower public schools. While public schools generally 
are under resourced, marquee programs such as the Ministry of 
Education's "Connect Yourself to Knowledge" internet access 
program appears to be making progress. 
 
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THE POOR STATE OF PANAMA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
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¶2. (U) POLINTERN witnessed first hand the poor state of 
Panama's public school infrastructure during her July 21 
visit to three Panama City elementary schools. The Ministry 
of Education (MOE) apportions funds to schools according to 
the number of students enrolled. Smaller schools therefore 
receive less money than larger ones. The schools visited 
suffered from cracked walls, deplorably inadequate wooden 
roofs that are rarely maintained, and chipping paint. At one 
school, for example, children often became ill because the 
walls shed asbestos-like dust, a teacher said. Filthy walls, 
the dirt from which could easily be removed with soap and 
sponge, attest to the simple lack of adequate janitorial 
services. Some schools eligible for re-painting jobs every 
few years were in the process of being painted. Classrooms in 
the schools visited were not air-conditioned; at best, some 
classrooms had ceiling fans to circulate the stifling air. 
Lighting was generally also poor, and, especially during 
summer time when temperatures and humidity are highest, many 
teachers preferred to turn off the limited lighting so as to 
not further heat their already steamy classrooms. Generally, 
the recreational areas and labs were not well equipped in the 
schools visited. The science classrooms POLINTERN visited 
lacked basic lab equipment, and what limited equipment exists 
was in disrepair. Library holdings appeared quite limited, 
though reference books were available for research. 
 
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A TYPICAL PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT 
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¶3. (U) According to staff at the schools visited, many of the 
schools' students come from humble families that lack the 
means to provide for the most basic necessities for their 
children. Some children went to school with shoes and clothes 
that they had outgrown while others faced health or learning 
disability issues. One principal confided that she had two 
students with confirmed cases of AIDS, including one who had 
recently become an orphan. Students were often sick from 
stomach parasites, noted one administrator. Parents who were 
confronted with evidence of such health problems often 
deflected administrators' concerns by asserting, "It's 
nothing," lamented one administrator. Should parents not be 
able to afford eyeglasses, limited funds to subsidize their 
purchase were available, one principal explained. Though 
mandated by law to integrate special needs children, there 
are few qualified special education teachers. One school 
visited, for example, had only one qualified teacher for its 
fourteen special needs children. 
 
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PUBLIC SCHOOL PROGRAMS 
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¶4. (U) Adminsitrators at the schools visited complained that 
they received inadequate funds for the programs they were 
expected to implement. For example, with respect to the MOE's 
school lunch program, administrators explained that they 
needed to decide whether to provide their students less 
frequent, well balanced meals or simply feed their students 
something in order to be able to say, "They were fed." 
Marquee programs, such as a program to provide daily supplies 
of milk and access to the internet, do appear to be 
adequately resourced. Administrators acknowldeged that the 
MOE did deliver daily half-pints of milk to every student, 
thereby ensuring a minimum consumption of calcium. The MOE's 
"Connect Yourself to Knowledge" internet access program aimed 
to equip every school with a fully-furnished computer room. 
Under the program, teachers and school administrators 
received training, and computer workstations had already been 
delivered to the schools visited. The GOP believed using 
technology would strengthen the education experience for all 
children. For exmaple, one school had just opened a computer 
lab with twenty-two workstations as part of the MOE's much 
touted digital age project "Connect Yourself to Knowledge." 
In another school, some desktops were not being used because 
the school did not have power cords long enough to reach all 
workstations. 
 
 
EATON