Bible-based teaching makes a difference in Panama’s schools

PANAMA CITY, Panama — Some years ago, the government of Panama passed a resolution that moral values should be part of the school curriculum. When it came to putting this resolution into practice, however, it was soon clear that moral values presented without a firm underlying philosophy were meaningless. The solution was the Bible, which provides a complete set of values for individuals and for society as a whole.

A girl who attends a rural school which has received Selections from the Bible Society of Panama. La Bonga, Panama. Photo: UBS / Dag Smemo (PAN03DJ-187.JPG)

Many of Panama’s schools now hold weekly Bible reading sessions. With 700,000 children, 25 per cent of the population, attending schools across the country, demand for Bibles is high. One of the leading suppliers is the Bible Society of Panama, which distributes 5,000 Bibles to schools each year in sets of 40, as well as thousands of Portions. Another way in which it brings the Bible into schools is through its extremely popular Bible-based competitions, in which children incorporate their biblical knowledge into essays, poetry and paintings.

Strongly aware that merely supplying Bibles to schools does not ensure their effective use, the Society has pioneered training courses for teachers in how to teach from the Bible. So far, more than 600 teachers have attended these courses, a reflection of schools’ positive attitude towards the use of the Bible in teaching moral values. (WR 383/9 -1/2.04)

The following three stories demonstrate the varied circumstances in which Bible-based teaching is having an impact on Panama’s children:

The Bible as a foundation for values in nursery schools: an interview with Gisela de Quiros
The Bible teaches values to students under pressure
Teaching the Bible far out in Panama’s countryside