Curricular transformation still on hold

The current management of the Ministry of Education (Meduca) has been characterized by criticizing the subsidies and the educational policies implemented by the previous administration, although without straightening its own vision of a competitive education and with equality of opportunities.

An example of this is the suspension of the curriculum transformation, carried out by the former minister, Lucy Molinar.

An evidence of the fact that in this Government the sterile criticism prevails instead of the project continuity or, in a given case, the improvement of those projects that had been initiated.

Background

The process of curriculum transformation in the basic and secondary education started in 2010 under the administration of President Ricardo Martinelli, in 64 public schools.

This continued with the addition of more secondary school centers to reach 160, figure that has been abruptly stopped with the arrival of the current Government.

Such transformation is oriented to an update of educational programs based on competencies, integrating knowledge, the know-how-to-do, attitudes, values and achievements of learning; which meant fostering adjustments that are consistent with today´s advances and changes in society.

Also some of the Bachelor's degrees would be withdrawn and others reinforced; technical emphasis would be included, teachers would be trained to avoid the school dropout and laboratories would be equipped with scientific and technological materials.

Great part of these advances now seem to be lost.

Not only in the classrooms per se, but also by hours invested in training of teachers, with inductive sessions that started in 2011.

From the arrival of the new authorities it was said that the processes would continue in the schools where they had already started, but their advancement would be suspended.

On 29 July 2014, the Deputy Minister of Education, Carlos Staff, sent a memorandum to the regional directors of academic areas of the Meduca.

In the note the suspension of the curricular transformation was reported claiming that it required further review and evaluation.

It was then when Deputy Minister Staff insisted that in a year an updated process would be ready.

"Starting from 2015, the transformation of the curriculum will continue, which will be both adjusted and updated with regard to the experience that has been obtained during these first years", he promised.

But 2015 went by, and eight months of 2016 has gone by... and the transformation of the curriculum remains suspended.

Lethargy

From 2014, this ambiguous suspension provoked the rejection not only by the teachers´ association, but also by the business sectors such as the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP).

Its spokesman then, José Luis Ford, warned that this group considered that in matters such as education "the long term policies of State must be maintained".

And in the span of these two years of Government, the head of Meduca, Marcela Paredes de Vasquez, came out on several occasions to ask "patience" in this matter.

Until 4 of July, the reception of a report on the transformation of the curriculum was finally confirmed, that had earlier been in the hands of a group formed by the University of Panama (UP), the Specialized University of the Americas (Udelas) and the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi).

At the time of the announcement, Paredes de Vasquez took the opportunity to indicate that the project initiated by her predecessor, Lucy Molinar, reflected a number of failures.

He added that "its implementation was very fast". And that probably "it missed the training of teachers".

In addition, she promised that Meduca would make "a thorough review of the curriculum content ... but to date concrete actions have not been announced”, she added.

Secrecy

"Major changes have not been made." The diagnosis has been delivered, but still those teachers´ association do not know for certain how that research ended; "they have not gone ahead with its divulgation", remarked Diogenes Sanchez, of the Association of Teachers of the Republic of Panama (Asoprof).

Sanchez said to Panama America that on repeated occasions those associations have asked the Minister to verify the transformation and to discuss through it more widely. "But up to now this has been in vain because we have not received any response", he said.

For the teachers´ s leader, what really has really been missing in 25 months is courage and political determination: "Meduca has maintained an attitude of inactiveness." "And since this is a rugged matter, the image that they leave is that they do not want to assume positions concerning the issue, and prefer to postpone it", said Diogenes Sanchez.