Summary.
The bill sets rules for handling information about the selection of scholarship recipients funded directly by the State or through the Institute for Training and Development of Human Resources (Instituto para la Formación y Aprovechamiento de Recursos Humanos). Institutions awarding publicly funded scholarships or administering scholarships through public entities would have to publish, immediately on their websites, scholarships available under agreements and the amount allocated to scholarships outside such agreements. They would also publish full eligibility criteria based on academic merit; a list of all applicants showing names, identity card numbers, scores, grades, and results; and a list of selected recipients showing names, identity card numbers, degree programs or qualifications, universities, and itemized expenses. Publication would include the amount of each scholarship and the aggregate amount awarded. Information about recipients and State disbursements would be public under Law 6 of 2002, allowing any citizen to request it.
Educational scholarships funded with public money or administered through public entities would be awarded on academic merit: the student with the higher academic average would take precedence, whether the studies are in the Republic of Panama or abroad. Partial scholarships would be awarded after all full scholarship places have been assigned, using the same academic criterion. A partial scholarship recipient could seek an education loan or credit to cover the remaining cost of study. If a recipient fails to complete the program, the scholarship would become a loan or credit. After completing their studies, recipients would have to remain in the country for at least two years or repay the sums received.
Scholarship decisions would also take account of degree programs or fields of specialization identified for the country. If no students apply for those fields, scholarships could be awarded for other programs or specializations. Where applicants have exactly the same academic average, preference would go to those with greater financial need. Financial assistance would be limited to students at social risk to prevent them from leaving the compulsory levels of Panama’s education system. Information about recipients and disbursements would be public under Law 6 of 2002.
Education loans would be awarded by academic merit to applicants who demonstrate the financial ability to repay them, for studies in Panama or abroad. Information about loan recipients and disbursements would likewise be public under Law 6 of 2002. Applicants who have not previously received a scholarship or education loan would have priority over those seeking another award, even if their academic average is lower. The bill provides for commencement three months after promulgation in the Official Gazette. Its provisions concern public entities that fund or administer educational assistance, the Institute for Training and Development of Human Resources, students, and higher education institutions.
What it proposes.
- Disclosure of scholarship selection and award processes.
- Award criteria for scholarships, financial assistance, and education loans.
- Recipients’ obligations and public access to disbursement information.
Who it would affect.
- Public entities that fund or administer scholarships and educational assistance.
- Scholarship and education loan applicants.
- Scholarship recipients and financial assistance beneficiaries.
Key points.
- Sets information rules for selection processes involving scholarships funded by the State or administered through the Institute for Training and Development of Human Resources (Instituto para la Formación y Aprovechamiento de Recursos Humanos).Art. 1
- Requires immediate publication of available scholarships, criteria, results, recipients, and amounts, and makes information about recipients and State disbursements public under Law 6 of 2002.Art. 2
- Requires educational scholarships to be awarded according to academic average for studies in the Republic of Panama or abroad.Art. 3
- Places partial scholarship awards after full scholarship awards and allows recipients to seek supplementary education financing.Art. 4
- Converts a scholarship into a loan or credit if the recipient does not complete the studies and requires repayment if the recipient does not remain in the country for at least two years afterward.Art. 5
- Takes account of fields of study identified for the country and, where academic averages are exactly equal, favors students with greater financial need.Art. 6
- Limits financial assistance to students at social risk in compulsory education and makes recipient and disbursement information public.Art. 7
- Makes education loans subject to academic merit and repayment capacity, and gives priority in subsequent awards to applicants who have never received a scholarship or loan.Arts. 8-9