The National Education Program

The overriding theme of current Mexican educational policy is equity with quality. Many disadvantaged children and youth live in rural, often remote areas of the country. The lack of roads, potable water, and other basic services makes it difficult to provide schools and teachers.

Other obstacles to securing an education include the poverty level, especially among the indigenous groups, who may not speak Spanish, may not be able to afford basic school materials, or who may have to choose between leaving children in school or putting them to work in the fields or at home. Internal immigration to the outlying areas of major cities such as Guadalajara and Mexico City has created "the phenomenon of the street children," whose school achievement may be as poor as their rural counterparts.

Increasing numbers of indigenous children live in urban zones. The children of migratory agricultural workers also have special needs. Statistics and studies confirm that disadvantaged children, and especially indigenous children, continue to have inferior rates of enrollment, attendance, and completion. The SEP calculates that approximately one million children between 6 and 14 years old do not attend school. The vast majority of these non-attenders are indigenous children, children of migratory farm workers, street children, or the handicapped (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 pp. 59-60). These groups also exhibit disproportionate rates of repetition and drop-out at the secondary level.

Regional differences also are a factor in equity of educational opportunities and success. A good example is the difference in average years of schooling among people 15 years or older. In the Federal District, the average is almost 10 years' education, but in Oaxaca and Chiapas, it is fewer than six years. (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 p. 58). As might be expected, adult illiteracy rates also are much higher in rural areas, especially among indigenous groups living in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Puebla (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 p. 61).

The importance of the "equity issue" is best expressed by the declaration by the SEP that the future of Mexico depends on the success in raising the educational level of the poorest people (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 pp. 121). This theme is repeated throughout the National Education Program 2001-2006, especially as it applies to the indigenous groups. Strategies to confront the issue include greatly increased institutional and financial support to improve and expand educational services to all of the most vulnerable segments of the school-age population. Compensatory programs will be evaluated and consolidated under the auspices of CONAFE, (National Council for the Promotion of Education-Consejo Nacional de Fomento Educativo), in order to improve the effectiveness of their services.

The government also intends to sensitize the Mexican populace about its indigenous population (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 pp. 130-133). With the help of indigenous groups, curricular contents for primary and secondary school will be changed to reflect cultural diversity. Teacher training institutions will reorient their curriculum and teacher in-service training will include multicultural studies. The government has also proposed a radio and television campaign to sensitize all citizens to the "multicultural richness" that characterizes their country.

A key factor in educational planning is the shift in demographic patterns. The birth rate has declined, prompting a reduction in the pre-school and primary population, and by 2005, a reduction in the number of secondary age students. These changes mean a corresponding increase in the work force ages 15 to 64, and in adults aged 65 and above. This implies an increase in the demand for upper middle (high school), higher education, and vocational training.

The second trend is an increase in the number of small communities dispersed throughout the country. Migration in search of work within Mexico or to the United States has caused a reduction of the number of people in small communities as well as a proliferation of communities with few residents (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 pp. 28-30).

The National Education Program 2001-2006 sets specific short and long term goals to address these and other challenges and concerns. In addition to multicultural studies, curricular reform will include an overhaul of the pre-school and secondary curricula, better vertical integration from pre-school through secondary, more emphasis on civics and ethics beginning in first grade, and environmental studies. Among the proposed administrative and organizational changes are the following:

Providing adult education, including literacy, and technical training for young people and adults, who represent 50 percent of the work force, will continue to be a high priority. According to the SEP, improvement in the productivity and competitiveness of Mexico depends on raising the educational level of the more than 32 million youth and adults who have not completed Basic Education (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 pp. 22, 61).

To coordinate efforts to meet this challenge, the SEP proposes the development of an office called the National Council for Education for Life and Work (Consejo Nacional de Educación para la Vida y el Trabajo). Other initiatives also are planned. One project will promote reading through a national campaign and book donations. Teacher training and in-service will be revamped.

A wider selection of support materials will be available to instructors. A number of strategies address the use of technology. Some of these include a proposal to connect 80 thousand schools to the Internet by 2006 and expand the coverage of the educational satellite television network (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 p. 64). Teachers will be trained to apply technology in their instructional methodology, especially in math and science classes. To achieve the three primary goals of justice and equity, quality, and administrative, reform, educational spending will reach eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product by 2006 (Programa Nacional de Educación 2001-2006 p. 94).

To consult the complete text of the National Education Program 2001-2006, consult the SEP website at http://www.sep.gob.mx