Panama’s Education Minister Lucy Molinar Warned that the School Year for Children could be in Jeopardy
The change in the Minister of Education’s discourse reveals that the indefinite teachers’ strike against Law 462 has exposed contradictions of Minister Lucy Molinar, who now admits that the school year is at risk.
90% of schools are open to the risk of losing the school year. During the indefinite teachers’ strike that began on April 23 in opposition to Law 462, which reformed the Social Security pension system, Education Minister Lucy Molinar issued a series of public statements.
Aerial view of the educators’ protest on Via España, held on June 16, 2025, against Law 462, which reformed the retirement system.
Although she defended institutions and the right to education, her statements did not always reflect the reality of the country’s educational institutions. Molinar warned that the school year could be in jeopardy if the teachers still on strike do not return to the classroom next Monday, the start of the second quarter of the academic calendar.
Teachers in Panama have had their First Contact with the Executive Branch through the Mediation of the Church
On Tuesday, June 17, teachers’ union leaders held their first meeting with government representatives in the Archdiocese of Panama to present their requests regarding Law 462, which made changes to the retirement system, as well as the possibility of establishing a dialogue table. They said government representatives listened to and took note of their concerns, and the Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa, also shared some thoughts on the issue.
