Will Panama Teachers Save or Doom the 2025 School Year? A Crucial Monday for Teachers and the Government
The teacher strike in Panama, motivated by the rejection of Law 462 on retirement benefits, is keeping thousands of students out of classes. Meanwhile, the government warns the striking teachers that they will be replaced.
Those who do not return this Monday will be replaced. The education crisis in Panama has reached one of its most critical moments. Since the start of the second quarter of the 2025 school year on June 23, thousands of students have been out of school due to an indefinite teacher strike that has now lasted more than two months. The strike, motivated primarily by the rejection of Law 462, has paralyzed a significant portion of the national education system. The law, approved in March, introduced reforms to the Social Security Fund CSS) retirement system.
Teachers’ unions claim that the regulations violate acquired rights and jeopardize their future economic stability. In contrast, the government maintains that teachers’ benefits will not be affected. Faced with this scenario, the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, announced that he will evaluate, together with the Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, the necessary decisions to resolve the situation. In public statements, Mulino blamed the teachers’ union for having “wasted” the first school term and blamed them for the negative consequences this strike has had on the education system.
