Another 327 public schools across ten educational regions are authorized to resume classroom teaching on Monday, October 26, as Panama gradually restores education services following the October 9 earthquake.
The Ministry of Education, known as Meduca, announced the additional group on October 23. The return covers students, teachers and administrative staff at the schools specifically cleared to operate.
The participating regions are Bocas del Toro, Darién, Chiriquí, Colón, Panamá Este, Panamá Norte, Panamá Oeste, Panamá Centro, San Miguelito and the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca.
The announcement applies to designated schools within those regions. Families should therefore confirm their own school’s status through Meduca’s published lists and regional education offices.
The new group follows an initial 770 public schools called back progressively from October 21. Together, the two announcements cover 1,097 schools, according to TVN’s reporting of the ministry’s figures.
That total describes schools authorized for a return; it does not establish that every student has resumed attending.
For campuses still outside the reopening programme, Meduca says alternative teaching arrangements will continue temporarily, coordinated through regional authorities.
The disruption remains particularly severe in Herrera, Los Santos, Coclé and Veraguas. La Prensa reported on October 25 that those provinces were outside the announced reopening calendar because of serious damage or unfinished structural assessments.
Its report describes a recovery plan combining contact with affected families, educational continuity and a gradual return to classrooms. Depending on local circumstances, arrangements include reduced schedules, teacher-prepared learning guides and digital resources.
The same report says psychological and social-support teams are working in the four hardest-hit provinces, helping students and families manage the earthquake’s effects alongside the interruption to lessons.
Sources: TVN
