The demonstration in solidarity with the teachers is taking place at the Nuestra Senora del Carmen Church in Panama City; and also in the La Chorrera district, according to its organizers.

The vigil is a response to the results of a meeting held by leaders of teacher unions and the Ministry of Education to see the return to the classrooms of hundreds of teachers who have been on strike since April 23.

Regarding this meeting, Eddy Pinto, the leader of the San Miguelito Educators Association, stated that they were not pleased: “Now they want to incriminate teachers with protests carried out by students in solidarity with their teachers, which is illegal.”

We demand that when evaluating the so-called “Declaration of Principles for Education and for the Immediate and Uninterrupted Return to Classes,” the rights of teachers facing disciplinary proceedings be respected, he added.

For his part, Jaime Castillo, an advisor to the Ministry of Education, emphasized that the ministry has complied with all the agreed-upon points and that no additional notifications have been issued since the signing of the agreement: “We reiterate that no teacher in the entire country has been dismissed, and that their right to defense has been guaranteed.”

According to Fernando Abrego, leader of the Panamanian Teachers Association, since announcing these measures, the Ministry of Education has violated workers’ right to strike and replaced teachers who participated in the demonstrations. These reprisals must cease.

The educators requested the creation of a commission to review Law 462 of the Social Security Fund, which the government refuses to do. They reiterated their demand for protection of teachers’ economic and professional stability.

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