Who is training the teachers?

PANAMA. There is trouble brewing between the University of Panama and the Ministry of Education about who will be training the next generation of high school teachers.

The rector of the University of Panama, Gustavo Garcia de Paredes and other civil servants have attacked the Education Minister, Salvador Rodriguez because his institution will be offering a B.A. in Education, competing directly with public universities.

The Ministry of Education is planning to open the Institute of Higher Education, which will be completely independent from the University of Panama and is in direct competition with it.

The general secretary of the University of Panama Employees Association, Damian Espino said that this action is irresponsible and is provoking an unjustifiable conflict between the two government bodies.

Espino added that many professionals in education will be affected, because the Ministry of Education will issue degrees that will not be valid as they will not have the legal validation of the University of Panama.

The general secretary said that Rodriguez has been incapable of getting the primary and secondary schools ready on time and now he is trying to impose his education system which is clearly the right of University of Panama.

Meanwhile, Garcia de Paredes said that the main problem is that if you allow educational institutes to give decrees with 220 credits as the Ministry of Education law says, there is going to be a proliferation of degrees, because currently there are 120 institutes.

“This will lead to a complete chaos within higher education, because it is the right of the university to give degrees, not institutes,” said Garcia de Paredes.

According to the rector the university made a proposal to the Ministry of Education to create a joint education degree, but Minister Rodriguez dismissed the idea and decided instead to do his own thing and create 500 scholarships to go to institutes that will giver second rate education.

Andres Rodriguez from the Panama Association of Professors the situation could be resolved by defining who is going to train the elementary and the high school teachers.

Professors and students of the University of Panama are thinking of taking to the streets next Monday to protest against the Ministry of Education.