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The Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has initiated the first stage of the "Country Agenda 2024-2029" project with a forum dedicated to education.

In this event, prominent experts in education have gathered with the purpose of analyzing the challenges faced by the education system and presenting proposals to address current issues in the Panamanian educational sphere.

The central focus of the forum has revolved around education and its challenges in the current context of society. As a conclusion, the speakers emphasized the fundamental importance of strengthening the competencies of students, including children, adolescents, youth, and adults, to increase their opportunities to secure decent employment and achieve a dignified life. Both aspects are crucial for the coexistence and social cohesion that form the basis for realizing a vision of the country's development that leaves no one behind.

The event featured the notable participation of Mirna Vallejo de Crespo, former Vice Minister of Education of Panama; Mercedes Morris, Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at TIGO; Romina Kasman, responsible for the Education sector at UNESCO San José; Nelva Reyes, Secretary General of the General Central of Workers of Panama; and María Heller, Director of Innovation in Learning Science and Technology.

Furthermore, Rancés Tello, representative of "Youth United for Education"; María del Carmen de Morales, Director of a private school; and José Miralles, representative of Civil Society, joined the exchange of ideas. The diversity of involved individuals enriched the dialogue and the exchange of perspectives.

Kasman emphasized the need to achieve structural equity in the education system and noted that there is still much to be done in this regard, as without reducing inequalities, it's impossible to rapidly progress towards ensuring the right to education, especially for vulnerable individuals. She also highlighted that while the enrollment rate in early childhood education has seen a slight improvement, the number of students out of school at the secondary level has increased, underscoring the urgency of implementing measures.

Additionally, the representative from UNESCO San José highlighted the importance of curriculum reforms and the need to close the digital gap in the education process. She also emphasized the significance of formative competency assessment that allows for the continuous development of students, with active participation from teachers, educational staff, and families.

Achieving these goals depends on protecting and increasing educational funding, which needs to be effectively applied based on results. These results should be defined and aligned not only with educational goals but also with the contribution of education to the country's development vision and the profile of the citizen.