Panama will have its first Autonomous University of Indigenous Peoples (UAPI), it will be located in Llano Tugrí, in the Ngäbe Buglé region. This is how it will be after this afternoon the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, sanctioned the law that creates this house of studies whose objective is to strengthen the educational system at a higher level in indigenous communities.
Also in this region, Cortizo Cohen delivered two technological classrooms to the Plan de Chorcha Educational Center, in the township of Emplanada de Chorcha, Besikó district.
According to Cortizo, sanctioning this law represents an important step to achieve the purpose of facilitating access to higher education for students from the regional areas.
“By establishing higher education centers within the regional territories, the assistance of students to university preparation is facilitated and they are prevented from having to emigrate to other regions of the country, with the difficulties that this represents for the economy of their homes” , he added.
This law contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of indigenous peoples and will also be an incentive to strengthen their identity.
The UAPI will start operations with four careers at the undergraduate level: Educators for Health, Technology and Agricultural Innovation, Bilingual Intercultural Education and Historical and Territorial Ethno-Tourism.
The president also received, from the Spanish company Hispasat, the donation of two technological classrooms fully equipped with broadband satellite internet connection.
“This donation strengthens the facilities of the new school that we inaugurated last December, with an investment of more than 3.5 million balboas, serving more than 500 children in the region”, highlighted the President of the Republic.