Student enrollment for this year experienced an increase of 2%, while public schools experienced an annual growth of students of 5%, private schools a decrease of 15.8%.
According to projections from the Statistics Office of the Ministry of Education (Meduca), the number of students at the initial, preschool, primary, middle and high school levels that will start this school year reaches 954,232 students.
Public schools are estimated to have an estimated 840,497 students enrolled. While, in private schools they add -for the moment- 113,736 students enrolled.
According to educational levels, adding the two sectors of Panamanian education (public and private), in initial education it is projected that 2,481 children will start the current school period, in preschool 100,690 infants, for primary 473,545, in middle school the estimate is 215,975 and for the average 161,541 young people, that is, 954,232 schoolchildren.
In the official schools, at the initial level, an entry of 1,856 children is expected; for preschool another 88,342; for primary, 422,468 are estimated; in the average 190,055; and for the middle level 137,776. Which in sum represents 840,497 students.
For private schools, it is estimated that 624 infants start at the initial level; in preschool 12,349 children; in primary school 51,078 children; in the average 25,920; and at the middle level 23,766 young people for a total projection of 113,776 students.
The Meduca announced that, after considering recommendations from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) to mitigate the covid-19 pandemic, in areas where many people congregate, middle and high school students from the official sector – from Panama Center, Panama East, Panama North, Panama West (Arraiján and La Chorrera districts), San Miguelito and Colón (city capital) – will start the 2022 school year on March 14.
