Editing Panama (section)

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Panama}}

During the 16th century, education in Panama was provided by [[Jesuit]]s. [[Public education]] began in Panama soon after it seceded from Colombia in 1903. The first efforts were guided by a paternalistic view of the goals of education, as evidenced in comments made in a 1913 meeting of the First Panamanian Educational Assembly, "The cultural heritage given to the child should be determined by the social position he will or should occupy. For this reason education should be different in accordance with the social class to which the student should be related." This elitist focus changed rapidly under US influence.<ref name="cs">{{Country study|country=Panama|abbr=pa|editor=Sandra W. Meditz and Dennis M. Hanratty|date=December 1987|section=Education|last=Kluck |first= Patricia}}</ref>

In 2010, it was estimated that 94.1 percent of the population was literate (94.7 percent of males and 93.5 percent of females).<ref name="cia.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/panama/|title=The World Factbook|access-date=October 25, 2014|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123023447/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/panama/|url-status=live}}</ref> Education in Panama is [[compulsory education|compulsory]] for all children between ages 6 and 15. In recent decades, school enrollment at all levels, but especially at upper levels, has increased significantly. Panama participates in the [[Programme for International Student Assessment|PISA]] exams, but due to debts and unsatisfactory exam results, it postponed participation until 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://impresa.prensa.com/panorama/Panama-pruebas-Pisa_0_4006849352.html |title=Panamá sin pruebas Pisa hasta 2018 |date=August 18, 2014 |website=Impresa.prensa.com |access-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709011304/https://impresa.prensa.com/panorama/Panama-pruebas-Pisa_0_4006849352.html |url-status=live }}</ref>