The Problems Ventura Vega is Facing at the Panama Ministry of Education.

Ventura Vega participated this Friday, August 14, in his first public activity as head of the Ministry of Education (Meduca), during the National Para-Athletics Tournament for Primary and Secondary Schools, a competition that seeks to select the athletes who will represent Panama in the upcoming Codicader Games in Guatemala.  Appointed by President José Raúl Mulino on August 13, Vega began his second day at the head of Meduca with meetings with department directors, including the director of Human Resources, in addition to participating in the sports competition.  Vega replaced Lucy Molinar pictured below, who resigned on August 13 after 25 months in office. Her departure came amid questions surrounding the purchase of 54,000 laptops for teachers, for a total of $28.4 million.

The Attorney General’s Office and the Comptroller General’s Office opened separate investigations into the bidding and purchasing process. In the case of the Attorney General’s Office, the request for investigation was submitted by former Minister Molinar herself.  Vega will now be responsible for reorganizing the Ministry of Education’s structure. The organizational chart includes three vice-ministries -Administrative, Academic, and Infrastructure. The appointments are pending and are the responsibility of President Mulino. In his first press conference, held on August 14 at the Presidential Amphitheater, Vega announced that the new vice-ministers and the directors who will support his administration would be named next week.

The departure of officials from the previous administration has already begun. On Friday, August 14, Agnes de Cotes, Academic Vice Minister of Education pictured above, submitted her resignation. This week, Roberto Sevillano pictured below, who held the position of Administrative Vice Minister, also resigned, while in February, Delia Marcela Herrera, who served as Vice Minister of Infrastructure, left her post.  The Ministry of Education (Meduca) also has a General Directorate of Education and more than 10 national directorates, including those for Administration, Finance, Nutrition, Human Resources, Technological Innovation, Projects, Maintenance, and Architecture.

At the technical level, it has directorates such as Educational Evaluation, Professional Development, Curriculum and Technology, Planning, and Foreign Language Teaching.  The structure also includes 13 educational directorates covering the levels of early childhood education, primary education, middle school, high school, vocational and technical education, and private education, among others. The system extends across 16 educational regions throughout the country.  The Ministry of Education (Meduca) is one of the entities with the largest budget in the State. For 2026, it has been allocated $3,639.5 million. Meanwhile, the proposed budget for 2027 submitted to the National Assembly currently includes $3,138.7 million for operating expenses and $1,993.6 million for investments.

Ventura Vega’s Priorities.

Among the priorities set by Vega is addressing the needs of educational infrastructure, especially pending projects, with the aim of ensuring safe, modern and adequate schools for students.  He also emphasized the importance of strengthening educational technology for both teachers and students. He noted that public education should offer similar conditions to private education and that, given the advancement of tools like artificial intelligence, it is essential to guarantee access to technology. 

For the upcoming tenders, Vega indicated that they will seek the support and experience of institutions such as the Technological University of Panama, the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG), the Panama Canal Authority, and the business sector.  Another of her priorities will be maintaining an open dialogue with the various sectors of education, including teachers, parents, students, administrators, business leaders, and international organizations. Vega also raised the need to move toward a new education law and adapt the system to current demands.

Unions Expect Concrete Actions

The general secretary of the Veraguas Educators Association, Luis Sánchez pictured below, appreciated Vega’s willingness to engage in dialogue, but called for action to address the situation of 298 teachers who have been suspended from their positions, some of whom have gone more than 400 days without pay. He argued that these labor disputes must be resolved before discussing a new education law.  Sánchez also requested an independent investigation into Meduca’s computer purchases and proposed prioritizing the equipping of computer labs with internet and specialized personnel, instead of concentrating investment in individual computers. 

For his part, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers of the Republic of Panama (Asoprof), Fernando Ábrego, described Vega’s initial statements as positive, especially given his willingness to engage in dialogue. However, he cautioned that the unions expect him to maintain this stance and that a new Organic Law of Education will be the product of consensus among all sectors.  Ábrego also highlighted the urgent problems of lack of potable water and electricity in schools, as well as the shortage of reagents, equipment, and laboratories for various subjects and at professional and technical institutes (IPTs). He stated that Asoprof would give the minister a reasonable amount of time to review his roadmap and reiterated the association’s willingness to participate in a dialogue process.

Ventura Vega took over the Ministry of Education amid investigations into the purchase of computers, resignations of high-ranking officials, dismissed teachers, and complaints from teachers’ unions.