Executive summary

Children between 6 and 17 years of age

For primary school age children (6-11 years) and secondary school age teenagers (12-17 years), the major risk they face is that they do not attend school, or drop out. Low schooling generally means poor job market prospects, low salaries, and, possibly, a life in poverty.

Deficient primary education. According to MEDUCA, net primary enrolment in Panama is very close to 100 percent. Measures of the educational system internal efficiency of indicate, however, that repetition and desertion rates at primary level continue to be high, particularly for the extreme poor and indigenous population. For instance, while the nationwide average repetition rate in primary is 5.6 percent, it reaches 13.2 percent in the Kuna Yala Comarca (Table A.3.1.3). Primary drop out rates average 2.7 percent nationwide, but reach 7.2 percent in the Kuna Yala Comarca. These higher drop out rates imply that many extreme poor and indigenous children conclude only a few years of schooling, which adversely affects their future earning potential.

Table A.3.1.3: Primary Education Efficiency Indicators, 2004

(Percentages)

	Grades
	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
Repetition rate	8.6	8.5	6.3	4.3	2.9	1.2	5.6
Province of Panama							3.5
Comarca of Kuna Yala							13.2
Drop out rate	5.0	2.5	1.5	2.2	2.7	1.2	2.7
Province of Panama							1.4
Comarca of Kuna Yala							7.2

Source: MEDUCA data base

a/ For public and private schools based on reconstructed cohort method.

b/ To complete primary.

Low secondary coverage. Net enrollment declines to 64 percent in secondary school.⁴⁷ This means that about 133,000 teenagers (12-17 years) do not attend school at this level, with a disproportional number of those in indigenous areas.⁴⁸ According to the 2003 LSMS data, net secondary enrollment for the extreme poor and indigenous is about one-half the national average. Thirty-four percent of children say that they did not attend primary school because of cash constraints; 43 percent give this reason for not attending secondary school (Table A.3.1.4).

Vulnerable children/teens. Child workers and pregnant teens are two particularly vulnerable groups. Child workers often do not attend school, which condemns them to a life in poverty and may be employed in hazardous activities. According to IFARHU, Panama counts 52,000 child workers (ages 5 to 17 years). Many of these children are forced to work in the streets of the major cities or in the fields.

Table A.3.1.4: Reasons For Not Attending School, 2003

	Total	Extreme Poor	All Poor	Non- Poor	Urban Areas	Rural	Rural Indigenous
						Non indigenous
Primary (boys and girls)
Lack of Money	34	36	34	32	39	42	25
Work	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Domestic duties	1	1	1	0	0	0	2
Not interested	3	4	3	0	0	0	7
Sickness	8	5	7	17	15	9	3
Distance/transport	8	11	8	0	0	1	18
Other	30	31	32	12	32	18	37
Group Total	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Secondary (boys and girls)
Lack of Money	43	51	39	29	34	47		46
Work	9	7	6	16	10	9		6
Domestic duties	5	7	4	1	3	6		5
Not interested	19	17	24	19	21	19		18
Sickness	2	2	3	2	2	3		2
Distance/transport	1	0	1	1	0	1		0
Pregnancy/girls only	8	6	5	17	14	6		5
Other	9	8	9	12	10	5		13
Group Total	100	100	100	100	100	100		100

Source: LSMS 2003
Poor teenagers that become pregnant face a similar set of risks. Poor teenage mothers usually have to leave school and must work to raise their children. Teenage pregnancy is a major cause of the intergenerational transmission of poverty. According to MINSA data, there were 11,921 newborns to adolescents in 2003.⁴⁹ or about 18 percent of all newborns.⁵⁰ Table A.3.1.5, based on 2003 LSMS data, indicates that while the overall prevalence of pregnancies among girls age 15-17 years is 10 percent, this rate is three times higher for the extreme poor and indigenous girls. Eight percent of the girls that do not assist to secondary school (14 percent in urban areas) give pregnancy as a reason (Table A.3.1.4).

Table A.3.1.5: Incidence of Teenage Pregnancies, 2003

	Total	Extreme Poor	All Poor	Non-poor	Urban Areas	Rural (non indigenous)	Indigenous
In girls 15-17	8,754	4,704	6,975	1,779	2,786	3,604	2,364
Total no. of girls 15-17	84,778	17,109	35,769	49,009	48,500	29,283	6,995
%	10.3	27.5	19.5	3.6	5.7	12.3	33.8

Source: LSMS 2003