The beginning of the new school year will be, in theory, different for 26 million children, from p reschool to middle school. Today, a new education model will be implemented , it includes new study plans and programs . Learning by memorizing will be left behind , and according to the official aims, the content that “is actually useful for the student” will be privileged, besides, “they will learn better and in a more fun way”.
The educational system was in need of a revision , due to the bad results that Mexican students have obtained in international tests, and to the need to update teaching models , and the constant technological innovation . To get to that point, the country had to get past rejection and demonstrations from teachers , as well as divided opinions and intense legislative debates.
Now, the political group that will take power on December 1st anticipated that it will modify or repeal the educational reform carried out by the current administration.
In the middle of political differences, there's the real situation of the education actors, which will prevail no matter what model rules. EL UNIVERSAL has published stories about families who have economic issues to send their children to school; teachers in Sinaloa who are threatening not to start classes because of an alleged debt of about MXN $700 million ; and one million students in Oaxaca who will start their school year in temporary classrooms because their schools , damaged by the September 2017 earthquake , haven't been rebuilt . In the capital , 52 schools will delay their opening because they haven't been repaired.
If th e students' social conditions are precarious , and they only have the necessary mean s to survive , if the government is bargaining the resources for teachers' salaries or if the school infrastructure is deficient , the educational situation will barely change, even if the best educational model is applied.
For a substantial improvement in education, it would require , firstly, that the decisions made have continuity and are not contaminated by the groups that get in power. At the same time, that education isn't held hostage by teachers' unions , in some regions the local leaders are only looking for power positions and economic benefits. Also, the creation of policies should involve teachers and experts .
Many of the problems in this country are originated from the setbacks that plague education . Erasing every trace and starting from scratch would break with the right decisions, few or many, from the new model. To only fix the deficiencies would be the right thing . Millions of students and teachers can't be in the middle of political differences.
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