Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias

Hernán Rivas’s eight-year first-instance conviction, which remains appealable, could strengthen former judge Tania Irún’s constitutional challenge, which points to a discrepancy between his written opinion and decisive vote on the JEM. Mario Varela says he changed his position and backed Rivas’s departure from the JEM’s leadership, while prosecutors foresee new investigations.

Hernán Rivas’s eight-year prison sentence has prompted Paraguayan authorities and lawmakers to call for further investigations into the fake diploma scheme, its possible masterminds and the political support that enabled his rise at the Jury for the Prosecution of Magistrates (JEM), while critics also cited damage to the country’s image and earlier cases involving members of Honor Colorado and former heads of the body.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies did not reach the bill restricting mobile phones and other portable electronic devices in schools on Tuesday after the session lost its quorum. The statutory deadline now expires on Friday, September 25. The Senate version is then expected to receive automatic congressional approval and proceed to the Executive. That does not mean the restrictions are already in force.

Paraguay’s prosecutors requested a 12-year prison sentence for former senator Hernán Rivas over the alleged use of a false diploma, said he used political influence to obtain registrations and serve on the JEM, cited a threat against prosecutor Patricia Sánchez and requested an investigation of Education Ministry auditor Nilda Rosa Rojas Melgarejo, while the court plans to issue its final decision on September 24 and the case has revived debate over educational privileges, oversight and about 1,500 suspected diplomas.

A total of 1.36 million voters aged 18 to 29, equivalent to 27% of Paraguay’s electorate, are eligible to vote in the municipal elections on October 4, 2026, according to data from the Permanent Civic Registry.

Paraguay’s proposed 2027 budget projects a fiscal deficit of 3.9% of GDP, partly concentrated in the payment of overdue debts. Former minister Benigno López criticized it for doing little to expand public-service capacity while putting pressure on investment.

Hernán Rivas's trial will hear the Public Prosecutor's Office's closing arguments on September 21 and deliver the sentence on September 24, while prosecutors consider investigating possible false testimony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

An agreement between the Paraguayan government and unions providing for a 5% salary increase in 2027 reduced the national teachers’ strike, but divided the organizations and kept groups seeking 8% mobilized before some of them suspended the action.

Paraguay’s Central Administration executed ₲46 trillion between January and August 2026, with spending concentrated on salaries, transfers, social programs and health, which received ₲2.1 trillion to settle pharmaceutical obligations and maintain the supply of medicines and medical supplies.

A teachers’ strike scheduled for September 17 and 18 in Paraguay challenges the 2027 budget bill, which excludes agreed raises and demands, while senators Blanca Ovelar and Celeste Amarilla disagree over the causes of the education crisis, the results of the 2025 PISA assessment given to 6,507 students, the Ñe’ẽry program, which received US$12 million in 2023, and criticism of teacher training and meritocracy; Amarilla also fears a return of banking crises and mentions Banco Atlas and Ueno, a Paraguayan digital bank.

Paraguay recorded one of the weakest Latin American performances in PISA 2025, with declines in reading, science and mathematics, while Hermenegildo Cohene Velázquez was appointed to chair the National Council of Higher Education, replacing Luis Fernando Ramírez.

Paraguayan teachers will hold a nationwide strike on September 17 and 18 to press for the inclusion of an 8% pay increase in the 2027 budget, with the possibility of expanding the mobilization and joining the doctors’ strike.

Paraguay fell in reading and science in PISA 2025 and ranked 11th among 13 Latin American countries. The results fueled debate over the digital administration of the test, screen use and artificial intelligence, and education policies such as the Ñe’ēry program; Minister Luis Ramírez said he would explain the results at a press conference on Friday.

Raúl Latorre said Hernán Rivas presented himself as a lawyer to represent the Chamber of Deputies on the JEM. Hugo Estigarribia said a final conviction could prompt an examination of decisions if Rivas’s vote was decisive.

Paraguay’s Ministry of the Interior projects increasing the National Police force to 42,611 officers by December 2026, with 5,000 new graduates, stronger training and internal controls, while Minister Enrique Riera acknowledges that the expansion will not eliminate the sense of insecurity.

Paraguay’s 2027 General National Budget bill directs most education funding to salaries and benefits, with different percentages applying to different allocation scopes, and may be amended during consideration.

Sandra Isabel Cárdenas says G. 34,112,616 was deducted from her salary in two collection cases based on the same promissory note, which she says she never signed. She reported the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and links it to the so-called “promissory-note mafia.”

Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the courts to annul 144 demonstrably forged teaching diplomas and subsequently cancel the professional registrations linked to them. The investigation covers 525 suspicious documents and could hold beneficiaries, institutions and public officials involved accountable.

Paraguay’s Ministry of Education and Sciences restricted the registration of diplomas without accreditation and launched RUE-ES as the trial of Hernán Rivas revealed that his law degree was registered in six minutes after an alleged “higher-up order,” despite irregularities—an allegation denied by former minister Eduardo Petta.

A joint anti-drug operation between Paraguay and Brazil destroyed over 436 tons of marijuana in natural reserves in eastern Paraguay, causing an estimated loss of more than 65 million dollars to criminal groups.

Paraguayan Senator Esperanza Martínez denounces that politicians, including senators, deputies, governors, and ministers, are linked to drug trafficking, finance campaigns with illicit money, and enjoy impunity, pointing to systemic tolerance for corruption in the country.

The trial of former senator Hernán Rivas for using a fake law degree exposes widespread flaws in Paraguay's academic document control system, with university authorities admitting irregularities and the Ministry of Education confirming its registration system is insufficient.

Former Senator Enrique Bacchetta alerted the Chamber of Deputies in 2020 about doubts regarding Hernán Rivas' law degree, whose trial for using a false document reveals certificates with serious spelling errors and testimony from a former university rector who claims to have signed it inside a car without ever seeing Rivas attend classes.

Paraguay's Ministry of Education is creating a blockchain-based cryptographic diploma registry following an internal scandal that revealed hundreds of forged documents.