The suspension of State aid to parents for their children's education has not only impacted on costs that must be paid, but it also appears these alternatives do not seem to work.
School vouchers, backpacks, school supplies and laptop computers were part of the materials that were supplied to students in the form of aid.
Meanwhile, the current Government decided not to continue with these assistances, and instead opted to give a subsidy to get young people out of gangs, through its emblematic program Barrios Seguros (Safe Neighborhoods), which so far has not produced the expected results, which is confirmed by the deeds of blood occurring during the past months in which minors have been involved.
Teachers´ leader Yadira Pino stated that this Government is characterized by improvisation and for doing things without proper planning.
"(This Government) suspended some things, such as programs or incentives, and allegedly allocated them to other programs. That is called improvisation", she said.
Mrs. Pino requests that a public policy for the educational issue be created in terms of the budget.
She added that there must be a public policy on the subject of security to respond to what we have and thus solve our problems, little by little.
For this leader, one of the major shortcomings of the Government is that they are trying to see how to remove something from one place to put it at another; it is not fulfilling the responsibility of the State which is to provide security to the population and is not actually pulling the youth out of crime, which affects both the young ones and society in general.
"The subjects of education and safety are not being addressed as it should correspond with the right priority and planning, with a budget designed to solve problems and meet the needs that exist in both sectors," she added.
The leader described as a blow to families´ pocket the suspension of benefits in the field of education.
"They removed subsidies for education, but failed to budget for education," said Mrs. Pino.
In Carlos Herrera Moran´s view the Government has failed in terms of public safety, because there is no well-organized strategy for citizens.
"Crime and delinquency will continue to build as it pleases to the point that we Panamanians feel that the country has been kidnapped by crime, especially in the youth segment", he remarked.
Mr. Herrera Moran recommends the Barrios Seguros policy be reformulated to see where the shortcomings and deficiencies of this program lie.
"Recent events show that we are in a violent society, that the Police have been unable to stop this increase," he explained.
On subsidies, the jurist proposed them to be revised, since in the long term they will bring bankruptcy to the State.
"We have to make people understand that the only way to generate wealth is through work and education".
However, Mr. Herrera Moran believes we should help vulnerable neighborhoods and workplaces, but he was not in favor of giving subsidy in an irresponsible manner.
Apathy of the young
Mr. Herrera Moran also believes it is necessary to counteract the youth´s apathy, which generates crime.
"They should engage more in sports, cultural activities, youth music and in more education. They spend more time on the streets than at school, and this issue must be addressed with urgency", is his opinion.
For the lawyer, these are issues on which the Government must play an important role but, on the contrary, it seems to be neglecting.
Sociologist Olmedo Garcia affirms that there is a contraction in the expenditure in the education policy, since according to reports from statistics it is indicated that the number of young people in reproductive age who are neither studying nor working has increased.
"There is a contraction of direct and indirect subsidies. We have decreased the education at the primary level", he said.
According to the reports, out of 10 children entering school, 6 do not complete it by the age of 12, in the primary education system.
Upon leaving school, these spaces appear that are unfortunately usually replaced by illegal activities, which is impacting the problem of juvenile delinquency, said Mr. Garcia, who explained that an increase in the rate of youth unemployment reaches 23%.
The sociologist also added that if these policies are not accompanied with sustainability, the Barrios Seguros program will fail, because you cannot provide a direct subsidy to those who commit any type of offence or display an irregular conduct.
"The State needs to redirect its public expenditure policies. You should not finance a program which does not have an effective return rate", he warned.
With his analysis, Mr. Olmedo Garcia, who is a Professor of the University of Panama, came to the conclusion that the outcomes of the Barrios Seguros program, in context with reality, has been an utter failure in the period that it has been implemented.
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