Panama Education Minister warns of new fake diploma cases

Panama's Minister of Education, Lucy Molinar, has alerted the public to the discovery of additional cases involving fraudulent academic diplomas. The Ministry of Education (Meduca) is preparing to release further details on these findings next week.

This announcement follows an earlier investigation at the start of 2026, when Meduca identified irregularities during the recruitment process for teachers and professors. Some candidates submitted fake diplomas for master's degrees, postgraduate studies, and specializations to enhance their chances of selection.

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We have discovered more cases and will provide details next week.

The ministry reported the issue to the Public Ministry, citing "crimes against public faith, specifically document forgery." These investigations resulted in more than 200 teachers and administrative staff resigning or abandoning their positions. Celia Rodríguez, the national director of Human Resources, previously stated that over 30 administrative officials were allegedly involved in a network facilitating the use of invalid degrees to secure teaching positions.

Investigations are reportedly focusing on officials from various educational regions, including Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and the Ngäbe Buglé region. Concurrently, Meduca is establishing a direct verification system with official and private universities to automatically validate diplomas, aiming to prevent future occurrences of academic fraud within the education system.

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The alleged crime against public faith, in the modality of document forgery.