Teachers spend 673 days away from classrooms

According to data from the Alliance for Education, after returning to in-person classes, after 20 months, teachers have spent nine weeks out of their classrooms. In July 2022, one month unemployed, and in 2023 they were unemployed for five weeks

During the administration of President  Cortizo, there was an extensive period of virtual classes and two important days of stoppage of teaching work. The first was extended for approximately 20 months, due to the biosafety measures established with the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

While, in July 2022, classes were interrupted for a month, in which teachers demanded payment for expired terms and their retroactive payments. This period without classes caused the modification of the school calendar which was extended until December 30 and did not allow a break between the second and third trimesters. In addition, graduations were held in the first week of January.

On October 25, the teachers’ organizations announced the first call for a 48-hour strike, which was later extended until November 5, when they established an indefinite national strike until the mining contract was eliminated.

There are groups that make up the new class stoppage totaling some 48 thousand who make up the teaching force in the public sector.

It includes the San Miguelito Educators Association whose general secretary is Eddy Pinto; the Association of Guna Yala Educators (Iguaibiliguiña Hedman, general secretary); Association of Coclesano Educators (Itza Pedreshi, general secretary); Free Magisterial Unit (María Elena Mosquera, general secretary); Association of Specialized Educators – IPHE (Alexis Cazorla, general secretary); Association of Herrerano Educators (Ángel Mitre, general secretary), Association of Colonese Educators (Alberto Díaz, coordinator), Association of Chiricano Educators Juan De Dios Camaño, General Secretary), Association of Teachers of the Republic of Panama (Fernando Abrego, Secretary General).