(Martes Financiero)With luck it takes about an hour and a half for Kenya to move from Tocumen to one of the apartments in San Francisco where she works as a domestic piece.
Without social security and ailments that undermine her health, she enjoys her work place air conditioning “inverter” which contrasts with the old range of her modest home to eat while taking advantage of a cheese sandwich Gouda, five dollars a pound, ” much more palatable “to the two pies and a sweetened chicha you buy for a dollar, the same dollar that your diabetes accelerates to infinity.
She is part of a harsh social statistics that persists despite the historical growth rates experienced in the country during the last decade: from 100 inhabitants of the country, 21 did not have any social security coverage and 41 of them work informally.
These two figures are photographs of various social problems linked to social inequality in Panama, covering key areas such as education, work and health.
To correct these difficulties and achieve the much desired development money does not seem to be a problem. This year, the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Development have a budget of over 2 000 395 million dollars, but to make the breakdown shows that 73.8% is for running costs (operation, current transfers and subsidies ), and the remaining value of 26.2% to capital expenditures (investments and transfer of capital).
“Mortgaging the future?
While the Government estimates that this year economic growth rate will be located at least 7.5%, in parallel to accept that for every 100 children under four years, 75 live in total poverty or extreme.
In addition to this social breeding ground, the Comptroller General of the Republic last year accounted for 60 000 700 working children (29 thousand less than two years ago), 4 000 778 of whom have been injured during their task of working at least ever.
Despite this figure, at the national level, the National Secretariat for Children, Youth and Family only has 16 social workers who must walk across the country to verify that children attend school instead of earning a living the street.
“Ideally, at least we were 50 social workers in the street. By 2015 we could end the worst child labor practices, which are related to sexual exploitation, fishing and generally are linked to long sun exposure, “said Ismene PĂ©rez, coordinator of child labor eradication of National Secretariat for Children, Youth and Family, attached to Mides.
To deal with problems as diverse as this, in addition to seniors who have no pension, no economic support single mothers and other welfare programs, the Mides has a budget of U.S. $ 148.1 million, a figure that could be modest compared For example, with $ 77 million that the Ministry of Finance allocated to operating expenses (payroll).
“Inequality in Panama is evident. Has specific features. Is associated with female faces, people of African descent, indigenous children, “says Dennis Montenegro, director Mides Social Policy.
That description fits a certain extent to Charito, a single mother of 19 years and resident of Sabanitas in Columbus, who fell in love with “the wrong person.”
In these carnivals you touched sell “checheritos” several gas stations to earn some money to feed her three years.
Charito is one of those homes “disintegrated” Mides as exemplified by the archetypes of inequality in the country.
With an eye on women like her, Mides works with social programs that seek to group them into cooperatives that generate their own livelihoods.
“We’re doing things differently. We seek to have a tangible impact and managing for results, “said Montenegro from his office in Edison Plaza.
Part of this “new way of doing things” implies an increase in subsidies to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working with vulnerable groups in the country.
This year the Mides plans to award grants to 95 NGOs, which is twice the 40 who received help last year. For these functions, it has
A budget of $ 4.3 million, a figure reached only through the month of June, so apply a credit outstanding, according to Montenegro.
“We are seeking social support less bureaucracy and avoid duplication of functions,” the official argued, noting that for the granting of funds is done “strictly controlled disbursement, monitoring is carried out by the Office of Allowances of this ministry .
But the very Mides daily encountered the barriers of inequality when granting social benefits. One of the biggest problems faced is the low level of banking within the country.
In Darien, with a population of 47 000 inhabitants, there are only two bank branches and two ATMs, a situation that worsens in Kuna Yala, which without the many tourists who arrive daily to the region, has a population of 31 000 500 people, but barely has one bank branch and no automated teller machine (ATM).
“The economic aid is delivered every two months. We moved to the police and the cash and do the radio call for 15 days in advance so that people prepare to descend from the mountains, “says Montenegro.
Raising the collective
In the eyes of the Ministry of Education, Gabriel, “former student” just turned 18 years old, unfinished middle school and a resident of Samaria, is one of the 27 000 457 students who failed the school last year, accounting for the Panamanian an outlay of 19.2 million dollars at an average of $ 700 per student.
“School bored me, I know that I’m finished but I prefer to go to cyber or listening to music,” he said while making a “trip” to the mall to meet with Peoples friends.
As Gabriel, hundreds of students around the country find the tedious classroom and out of step with reality, aspects of a curriculum also outdated, is that many teachers have not yet been fully trained in basic subjects such as IT.
“By the end of summer, all teachers must have been trained in computing,” said Deputy Minister of Education, Mirna de Crespo, recalling that in many cases the students know more on this subject that teachers, just because the teacher is limited to know how to check email.
At present, according to figures from the office, the return of students nationwide reaches 800 thousand students, 700 thousand of which are public with 40 thousand teachers.
The “bad reputation” of the educational system as well as being experienced by the local private sector, which is not suitable for personal
positions and uses foreign personnel, and is known internationally.
The results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA, for its acronym in English) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which assesses students in 15 years around the world, showed a dramatic diagnosis.
In this test, which evaluates the skills of reading, science and mathematics, Panama received one of the worst, just over Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Peru.
Other statistics that fire alarms in society and could lead some to think that we are mortgaging the future is the level of failing examinees Premedia.
According to the MEDUC, just last year 20 out of 100 students failed their studies in the areas of central Panama and San Miguelito.
But to solve these problems the authorities believe that funds will not be a problem. Within the national budget, the Government allocated for the Ministry of Education of $ 892 million for current expenses (payroll, benefits), while capital spending of $ 251.3 million, both figures represent record highs.
“I do not think it’s a problem of economics,” said Crespo, recalling that has MEDUC social assistance programs such as school vouchers, provision of uniforms and backpacks that are useful within them.
“Parents are essential in the educational process. They must become more involved in raising their children, “he says.
To modernize the educational aspect, this government agency has a complementary process of progressive curriculum change that includes increased time on issues such as ethics, morals and values, physical education, mathematics and Spanish.
For now, these changes are implemented in 63 schools and only after the tenth grade.
The transformation began at this stage because it involves students in the short term the market will work and need to have skills to ensure their suitability, says Crespo.
Post results
Social inequality can be a time bomb that will do away with all the economic growth that has been experiencing.
Therefore, the sociologist RaĂșl Leis estimated that political will is needed to address once and for all these contrasts.
“The budget focused, in addition to the depoliticization of civil career, creating efficiency in spending, would have to pay to be significantly changing the landscape, but definitely (expenditure) should be increasing as the population and Growing Pains” he adds.
Besides political will, the experts recommend to reduce the gap of inequality through social policy work of state, ie, long-term plans do not lose their effect when the presidential term expires.
The measurement of social policies is another task ahead in the opinion of Paulina Franceschi, coordinator of the Atlas of Human Development and Millennium Development Goals in Panama developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
For the specialist in social, not enough to build a health center or school. The Government should measure the impact of such infrastructure in the development of the community, how this work changed the life of the population. “You have to measure what happens to people,” he says.
From the economic point of view, it creates wealth and therefore higher consumption if it develops the capacity of the excluded. Only a matter of targeting efforts, because the money now seems to be a problem.
The numbers light alarms
75 – Poverty. The figures from the Mides indicate that of every 100 children under four living in the country, 75 are between total poverty and extreme poverty.
60.700 – Child Labour. Last year this was the number of children that the Government recorded as workers.
4.778 – INJURED. According to the latest survey of child labor from the Comptroller, this is the number of minors who have been injured sometime during the execution of their task work.
21% – Out. Of 100 Panamanians, 21 of them are not protected by Social Security.
12.440 – PRISONERS. According to statistics from the Comptroller, in a thousand older adults living in the country, six are deprived of their liberty in a prison in Panama.
41% – INFORMALITY. Of every 100 economically active, 41 are in the informal sector.
0 – ATM. Despite being a tourist destination and have 31 000 inhabitants, in San Blas there are no ATMs.