Literal question
10. What is the highest grade or school year of regular education you completed?
Write the number in the corresponding box, or mark in the box "No grade."
[The first three options have two boxes with the first digit (1, 2 or 3) already filled in and a second blank box to be filled in indicating the grade.
[1] Primary ____
[2] Secondary ____
[3] University ____
[] 04 No grade
Interviewer instructions
Only for persons 4 years old and older
Question 10 What is the highest grade or school year of regular education you completed?
[Below the text is a picture of a schoolgirl]
[The instructions refer a graph in question 10 on the census form.]
Before making the corresponding annotations, follow these instructions:
Do not use roman numerals. Keep in mind that the highest grade or year of regular education totally passed is requested and consequently neither half grades nor grades that have not been completely finished or passed should be written down.
If the person has received education abroad, write down the equivalent grade in the system of regular education of this country with the closest possible approximation. For example: the 9th grade in schools abroad is equivalent to the 3rd year of secondary school in Panama.
Keep in mind that the grade or year that is wanted refers only to what was passed within the three levels of [p. 75] regular education (primary, secondary, university) that is taught in public or private schools. (See annex 1 that refers to the schools of regular secondary education).
Therefore, courses of regular education, special or vocational studies that do not require the passing from a first cycle, such as some sewing schools, business schools, cooking schools, confectionary schools, secretary schools, telegraph schools, and other similar schools will not be considered. Example [all refer to specific, well-known schools in Panama]:
The Applied School of Commerce
Accounting and Commerce Technical
The Muñoz School of Diesel Motors
The Thomas Alva Edison Institute
If the person claims to have taken one of these classes of special studies, insist on obtaining the information that refers to the last grade or school year passed in schools of regular education.
Studies or correspondence courses will not be considered regular education.
Below, examples of how to fill out the corresponding boxes are described:
Write down the grade in the box corresponding to the class of regular education. Examples:
a) The person claims to have passed the forth grade of primary school, the annotation will be made like: Primary (1) (4)
b) For the case of persons who declare to have passed any grade in the basic cycle, the annotation should be done on the level of primary. Example: If the person passed the eighth grade, it will be written down as: Primary (1) (8)
[p. 76]
c) The person claims to have passed the third year of university, annotation would be: University (3) (3)
If the person claims to be attending the first grade of primary school, or attends a kindergarten or children's center, mark the box "No grade" (X) 04. Also include in this box persons who have never attended school.