Summary.
Article 1 proposes amending Article 235 of Law 175 of November 3, 2020, the General Culture Law, concerning fine arts and folklore schools and higher technical institutes. Under the proposed provision, schools and institutes attached to the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación) would become part of the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura), regardless of the names they use. The transfer would include each institution’s budget, property and infrastructure. The provision covers both schools and higher technical institutes within that institutional arrangement.
To arrange their incorporation into the forms of Panama’s education system, the Ministry of Culture would assist and work with the Ministry of Education on the necessary adjustments. Academic qualifications issued by the secondary schools would be endorsed by the Ministry of Education. For higher technical institutes, the text assigns supervision to the University of Panama (Universidad de Panamá). These provisions connect the change in institutional affiliation with the continuation of educational activities and the treatment of qualifications issued by the institutions.
The same article provides that teaching and administrative personnel serving in those schools and institutes would transfer to the Ministry of Culture along with their positions. For teaching personnel, the version of the articles included in the text refers to the Organic Education Law (Ley Orgánica de Educación) and its regulations. An earlier formulation of the article refers to Executive Decree No. 305 of April 30, 2004 (Decreto Ejecutivo No. 305 de 30 de abril de 2004), which approves the consolidated text of Law 47 of 1946 (Ley 47 de 1946), the Organic Education Law. Article 1 also creates a temporary committee composed of personnel from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, one representative of teaching personnel and one representative of administrative personnel. Its task would be to carry out the coordination needed for the proposed transition.
Article 2 proposes placing the schools and higher technical institutes, together with their teaching and administrative personnel, under the National Directorate of Arts Education (Dirección Nacional de Educación Artística). That placement would follow the organizational structure and the Ministry of Culture’s Organization and Functions Manual. Article 3 expressly identifies the amendment to Article 235 of Law 175 of November 3, 2020. The commencement provision included in the text states that the measure would take effect upon promulgation.
The public bodies connected with the proposal are the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the National Directorate of Arts Education and the University of Panama. Its subject matter could concern fine arts and folklore schools, higher technical institutes, their students, and their teaching and administrative personnel.
What it proposes.
- Institutional transfer of fine arts and folklore schools.
- Budgets, property, infrastructure and personnel of the transferred institutions.
- Educational integration, academic qualifications and transition coordination.
- Placement under the National Directorate of Arts Education.
Who it would affect.
- Fine arts and folklore schools and higher technical institutes attached to the Ministry of Education.
- Teaching and administrative personnel of those schools and institutes.
- Students and holders of academic qualifications issued by those institutions.
- Public bodies responsible for the transfer, educational integration and supervision.
Key points.
- Schools and higher technical institutes attached to the Ministry of Education would transfer to the Ministry of Culture with their budgets, property and infrastructure.Art. 1
- The Ministry of Culture would assist the Ministry of Education with the adjustments needed to integrate the institutions into the forms of Panama’s education system.Art. 1
- The Ministry of Education would endorse secondary school qualifications, and the University of Panama would supervise the higher technical institutes.Art. 1
- Teaching and administrative personnel would transfer to the Ministry of Culture with their positions; teaching personnel would remain subject to the Organic Education Law and its regulations.Art. 1
- A temporary committee with institutional, teaching and administrative representatives would coordinate the transition.Art. 1
- The institutions and their personnel would be placed under the National Directorate of Arts Education in accordance with the Ministry of Culture’s organizational structure and manual.Art. 2
- The bill expressly identifies the amendment to Article 235 of Law 175 of November 3, 2020.Art. 3