The Government, through the Solidarity Educational Plan, will allow free access to virtual platforms for students from official schools and teaching staff in the country, starting on March 15.
The internet and mobile data plan will benefit, at no cost, students and teachers in the official sector with the use of WhatsApp and access to technological platforms, among others.
The Ministry of Education (Meduca) has reports that, during the 2020 school year, more than 50% of students connected through their mobile devices.
On this, a report from the Center for Educational Research in Panama states that seven out of 10 students from official schools do not have a computer at home, and four out of 10 students from the same school sector do not have internet at home.
Meanwhile, Meduca figures indicate that in 2020 some 10,643 students were not linked to the system, that is, 1.4% of the student population. At the end of the second quarter, more than 50 thousand were reported.
Distance education exposes inequality
Panama begins its second school year – in its first quarter – under the modality of distance education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, without being clear about the achievements obtained in 2020 in the sector.
The school population for the 2021 school year is comprised of 895 thousand students, of which 145 thousand are from private schools. In the public sector there is an 8.9% increase in the student population, especially in the initial grades.
The Ministry of Education (Meduca) has planned a strategy to continue with “Conéctate con la Estrella” – television and radio classes – at established times through television channels and stations that have joined the initiative.
They will also make available the platforms Ester, Office 365, TITAN, My Classrooms, Edmodo, among others, which aim to ensure that students are not left behind.
Meduca data show that last year 10 thousand 63 students were unable to join the educational system because they were not located by educators. The figure represents an estimated 1.4% of the country’s student population.
This was explained by Maruja Goday de Villalobos, Minister of Education, who added that in 2019 school dropouts were 14 thousand 23 students, that is, 2.4%.
The head of Education acknowledged that this year they must carry out an evaluation of distance education, to know the level of learning achieved by students in 2020.
He argued that they have several modalities so that students can receive their classes, not only through a digital platform.
Reality
Various modalities must be available to the population, since a report from the Center for Educational Research of Panama (CIEDU) specifies that seven out of 10 students from official schools do not have a computer at home, and four out of 10 students from the The same school sector does not have internet in their home. These data are aggravated when it comes to rural or indigenous areas.
A report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), published in August 2020, states that the use of online education solutions is only possible for those with an internet connection and access devices.
The document shows that in 2018, about 80% of 15-year-old students who participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test in the region had internet access at home, and only 61% had access to a computer. Only a third of students had home learning software, compared to more than half of students, on average, in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
ECLAC also indicates that 46% of children between 5 and 12 years old in the region live in households that are not connected to the internet, which implies that in the countries where information is available there are 31 million children and girls excluded from the education system during the pandemic.
Diógenes Sánchez, a member of the Association of Teachers of the Republic of Panama, said that distance education reveals inequality in the country, since many students cannot connect to the internet or do not have the devices.
He stated that it is key that the State guarantees free internet to registered students, and that they provide them with a device so that they can connect to virtual classes.
The lack of internet and a device translates into profound inequality, especially in hard-to-reach areas, Sánchez said.
Strategies
Luis Oliva, administrator of the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG), indicated that the Ester platform that was enabled last year will open virtual classrooms for teachers from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade.
Ester will allow a service capacity for a total of 200 thousand users registered in phase 2, which will be until the first week of June, and then the capacity will be increased to 800 thousand users.
He explained that the Ester platform is a dynamic educational product, which implies that its growth is progressive and that various learning approaches will be incorporated that will enrich the student’s knowledge apprehension experience.
He added that for this first quarter there will be a team that will receive and support teachers’ inquiries regarding the operation of the platform.
Meduca data indicate that last year, on the Ester platform, with the Virtual Learning Objects (OVA) for twelfth grade students, 25 thousand 311 students from 190 schools were enrolled.
The Office 365 platform was the most used, since it managed to connect 167,928 students of all levels, and 29,235 teachers. SEE 5A
–
