On Monday 9 September 2024, the Minister of Culture, Maruja Herrera, with his work team, put before the full National Assembly two important bills that seek to strengthen artistic education and the preservation of cultural heritage in Panama.

The first preliminary draft propose that the high educational and technical institutes of Fine Arts and Folklore, currently under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, be assigned to the Ministry of Culture. "That bill isn't only intended to correct an administrative course but to protect the very heart of our artistic culture," said Minister Herrera during her intervention at the Assembly.

Panama has 22 (22) Center and Higher Institutions of Fine Arts and Folklore that play an important role in promoting culture at national level. The restitution of these establishments to the Ministry of Culture is crucial to promoting human and cultural development and to guaranteeing the right of people to participate fully in the cultural life of the country. Furthermore, this project lays down that the academic degrees awarded by these educational establishments will be supported by the Ministry of Education and, in the case of Higher Technical Institutes, will be monitored by the University of Panama.

The second preliminary draft modifies and adds articles to Act 136 of 2013, which regulates the historic architecture of the Casco Antiguo of Panama City. That initiative includes the renewal and expansion of fiscal benefits associated with the conservation of the Casco Antiguo and will also extend them to its Amortiguing Zone and to the historic centre of the town of Colón. These modifications will not only promote the preservation of these heritage areas but will also stimulate economic and cultural development in both cities.

Minister Maruja Herrera emphasized that these projects are vital to the protection and promotion of our cultural heritage and artistic education and requested that the full National Assembly be supported with a view to complying with the necessary legislative procedure and ensuring their promulgation as a law of the Republic.