The study of the educational costs of the health crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean, prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Center for Educational and Social Studies, projects that educational exclusion in Panama will increase by 19% due to the closure of schools and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the family economy.

The other two countries where education exclusion will grow will be Mexico (16%) and Costa Rica (13%).

The Ministry of Education (Meduca) recognizes that they have a great challenge this school year and that is to incorporate the educational system of the 46 thousand students who were not located throughout the 2020 school year.

For the first quarter of this 2021 school year, Meduca will begin the distance education process, and the subsequent modalities will be determined by the Ministry of Health depending on the evolution of the pandemic.

Distance education in 2021, another new challenge for Meduca

The first quarter of this 2021 school year will be remote due to the Covid-19 pandemic , which represents a new challenge for the Ministry of Education (Meduca).

The entity has yet to locate all the young people who failed to enter the education system last year, which number 46 thousand students.

The situation brings with it a setback, warns the study called The educational costs of the health crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean, by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Center for Educational and Social Studies, published at the end of November, which indicates that the crisis Covid-19 appears to be exacerbating existing gaps.

The document details that in Panama educational exclusion will increase by 19%, due to the closure of schools and the impact that the pandemic has had on the family economy.

The Minister of Education, Maruja Gorday de Villalobos , explained that the Ministry of Health (Minsa) will determine the subsequent modalities that will be implemented in the school year.

Gorday de Villalobos said that it is a disciplined decision and articulated with the Minsa and the entire government team, with the aim of safeguarding the health and life of the students and the entire educational community.

In addition, he recognized that although there was a great leap to digital in a year, the need for connectivity in the country will not be met.

The situation is evident in the statistics of the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) that detail that approximately 1.3 million inhabitants - distributed in 368 communities in the country - do not have an internet connection.

Antonio Castillo, member of the Permanent Multisectoral Council for the Implementation of the National Commitment to Education (Copeme) , attached to Meduca), indicated that the educational decline in the country and the region has a direct impact on the next generations that make up society.

Not being educated and being left out of the educational system is to deprive our children and young people of civic, social and professional skills, which determine our development as a nation, Castillo said.