CAF and MEF sign agreement to strengthen the teaching of English in public education centers

CAF - Development Bank of Latin America - and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) have signed a $125 million contract for the Panamá Bilingüe (Bilingual Panama) program, which seeks to promote English as a second language in public education centers throughout the country.

In order to achieve the goal of promoting English learning, the initiative implemented by Panama’s Ministry of Education uses strategies such as the deployment of new education and training components for both teachers and students. The program seeks to improve contents and methodologies, as well as updating education techniques at the world’s best universities through the use of training resources, technical assistance and international cooperation.

CAF representative in Panama Susana Pinilla said that it´s “extremely important for CAF to support this initiative by the  Panama Government, which intends to educate children and young people in a bilingual education setting,” adding that English is a “universal language” that provides access to a “better education,” as well as a “greater amount of information.” By strengthening the country’s public education system through bilingual education tools, thus helping students be better prepared for globalization, Panama has become a model for other Latin American nations, which are expected to follow suit.

The Panamá Bilingüe program offers teachers and students an assortment of workshops. It trained more than 3,000 teachers in 2018 in both international and local classes and has impacted more than 130,000 students participating in the After School and Kids programs.