Failures vs changes in the curriculum

PANAMA. Nearly 49 percent of students who are applying for the first time to the University of Panama failed their admission exams, a figure significantly higher than in previous years.

The Admission Department of the University of Panama revealed that of 12,116 students who took the general knowledge test only 6,740 managed to obtain the minimum grade of 1.00 to be admitted to the university, while 5,376 obtained qualifications below that grade.

According to the report the biggest deficiencies are in the scientific areas, especially in Mathematics, where 68.04 percent of the students failed miserably in coping with geometry, trigonometry, algebra and arithmetic.

The liberal studies subjects did not fare any better, according to the report. For example in the knowledge, comprehension and writing of Spanish, that is the official language of Panama, 61.24 percent of the applicants obtained a bad result in the 2009 test, an alarming number is you compared it with 2006 when only 41 percent of the applicants failed the examinations.

The Academic Deputy Rector of the University of Panama, Justo Medrano said it is imperative that the curriculum for high school should modified as soon as possible, because the future of the country would be in jeopardy if the schools are unable to produce people who can go on to higher education.

A proposal made jointly between the University of Panama and the Technological University was given last year to the Ministry of Education identifying four areas that have to change for the high schools graduates to pass the admission test.

The universities were proposing an increase in the minutes per class (from 40 minutes to 45 minutes), an increment in the teaching hours from 36 to 39, reduce the number of specialty high schools from 68 to five and eliminate certain subjects from the curriculum.

Medrano said that the changes are justifiable, but “it is necessary to obtain everybody´s cooperation to achieve the goal, because there is always a group or union educators that opposes the changes and the ones who sufferare the students.”

Medrano’s proposals were badly received by Mariano Almanza of the Independent Teachers Association, who felt that it was “aberrant” the way university professors want to change the curriculum.

The union leader said that subjects such as general culture couldn’t be eliminated, because they form part of an integral education. “It is appeared that they want to form workers and not thinking people.

Almanza added that the Martin Torrijos administration has had the will to attack the situation.

Meanwhile, Andres Rodriguez of the Teachers Association warned that the educational proposal was the same one put forward by the Revolutionary Democratic Party presidential candidate, Balbina Herrera and that is the reason why he considers that the offer is tainted.

The deterioration of the quality of high school education is evident for Professor Maira Franceschi de Thompson, Admissions General Director of the University of Panama.

With 35 years experience in higher education, Thompson agrees that a transformation is well overdue, because 80 percent of the students that enroll at the University of Panama for the first time come from the public sector “and their knowledge is out of sync.”

“This means that teachers need to update the material they are teaching for their own good and for the benefit of their students,” said Thompson. On September 1 the enrollment process starts at the University of Panama and it is expected that fewer students will be admitted.