A REVIEW OF MEXICAN EDUCATION

BY ALEXANDRA PERAINO, KIERNAN BERGLIN, AND HALEY SCHOECK

MEXICAN EDUCATION AT AGLANCE

The Secretariat of Education (SEP) is the ministry that is in charge of all public primary and secondary school education. However, it is only officially responsible for Compulsory Basic Education. 93% of primary education is delivered in the General Modality, which is the uniform national curriculum. The SEP provides free nationalized textbooks to primary schools and selected textbooks to secondary schools. Principals and Parents have no authority over the hiring and firing of teachers. Teachers and Administrators have little autonomy; legally they must belong to the national teachers union. Primary schools meet for 4 hours a day, and operate in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts. Secondary schools meet for 7 hours and operate in morning and afternoon shifts. Only the 4 main subjects are taught in public schools, as there is no time for classes like Art, Music, or Physical Education.

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS
Progresiva- Oprotunidades - Began in 1997 in poor rural areas and recently expanded to urban areas - Monetary educational grants to participating families for each child less than 22 years of age who is enrolled in - School between the third grade of primary and the third grade of high school HDI Education Averages

-Children of lowincome families in the south are dropping out of school -Teacher-student ratio exceeds average -Spending is focused little on teachers and even less on students; most is towards things like materials -Standardized test scores are within the last for all subject areas -Principals, teachers, parents have little say -Social, Economic, and Regional Divisions -Girls are taken out of enrollment before and more often than boys -Half school day, less opportunity to teach Reasons for Dropping Out

Mexico = .726

United Kingdom = .815

United States = .939

Compared to Other OECD Countries - Mexico has the worst rankings compared to the United States and the United Kingdom in: -Education -Corruption - Municipal Waste

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