Panama - Nonformal Education

Panama boasts the best literacy rate in Central America (90 percent in the late 1990s). Adult education serves those who could not finish primary or secondary school and/or those who are functionally illiterate. It provides training by offering vocational courses. Panama's aggressive adult education programs are offered in over five hundred centers, including penitentiaries. Courses for workers (educación laboral) are very popular and give incentives for professional development and promotions. Also, adults can enroll in schools and institutes that offer technical and vocational studies. After spending from two and a half to three years in school, graduates become technicians (técnicos) and are qualified for better jobs. Or adults can take courses that enable them to get jobs sooner, rather than later, in the fields of banking, commerce, or office work. Older students can take advantage of distance education by enrolling in University programs. The Universidad Interamericana de Educación a Distancia offers distance education. The Instituto Nacional para la Formación Profesional was created during the Pérez Balladares government and offers vocational training with funding from private businesses.