Teachers to finally get pay raise

At last Panama’s teachers, responsible for what politician like to call the future of the country, education, are finally to get a pay raise.

Currently public school teachers earn between $400 and $700 a month. Starting in January 2011 they will begin to receive increments that  will ultimately boost their salaries by $120 a month.

The first raise in January will increase the pay of the country's 40,000 public school teachers teachers by $40 a month. The Ministry of Education is still figuring out a timetable to implement the remaining $80 of the increase.
The initial $40 salary increase will cost the government about an extra $22 million annually, says Education Minister Lucy Molinar.