Losses Exceed $50,000 as a School in Capira Panama Had its Electrical Grid Vandalized.
Panama: Approximately 1,500 laying hens housed in a coop could die from suffocation because the coop lost power. The electrical system at the Monte Oscuro Educational Center was vandalized. Losses exceed $50,000. 1,500 chickens are at risk of dying. The school has no security guards or cameras. The electrical grid that supplies power to the area where the agricultural, poultry and pig farm of the Monte Oscuro Educational Center is located, in the district of Capira, was completely vandalized over the weekend. Preliminary estimates suggest economic losses exceed $50,000, according to Marielis Rodríguez, the school’s acting director.
Thefts.
Last Tuesday, staff at the school reported to the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) the destruction of manholes from which several meters of electrical wiring were stolen. This Monday, the theft of wiring and some of the equipment installed in the electrical control panel was discovered. Twelve chickens, each costing $22.00 at the market, were also stolen.
The Risk.
About 1,500 laying hens in a shed could die from suffocation because the shed lost electricity and, therefore, the fans no longer work.
The Complaint.
The school, said Professor Rodríguez, lacks security guards despite repeated requests; however, the position of the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) is that, because it is a school with 160 students, the appointment was not warranted. The request for caretakers, Professor Rodríguez insisted, is based on the importance of poultry and pig production, on which the cafeterias of 20 schools in West Panama, Colón, Coclé and Darién depend.
The Cameras.
The principal of CE Monte Oscuro also questioned MEDUCA’s decision to reject the video surveillance camera installation project submitted this year, which would have cost $4,000. The project would have been funded by the Agricultural Fund that the school receives.
Background.
Thefts at this school intensified from January 2025, when a coaster bus used for transporting students was dismantled and is awaiting a part for its repair.
