(Expansión) – Starting today, we will see in Mexico that more and more girls, boys and young people return to face-to-face classes, even if it is to conclude this school year. A few days ago, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gave instructions to the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) to prepare the return to face-to-face classes, especially at the basic level, on a voluntary basis.
However, this announcement appears to have taken SEP and state authorities by surprise. It is incredible that after 44 weeks, with more than 300 working days, the High School says that “you have to make up school first.” Why has it not recovered in these months? Did no one really think that this day would come? Do students matter so little?
To comply with the president’s order, the SEP published a National that defines the principles and coordination mechanisms for returning to school. In addition, the Guidance for the Reopening of Schools was updated, which despite the most recent evidence continues to suggest that girls and boys consume food in the classroom. Furthermore, it is not clear which states will allow face-to-face classes or under what criteria. All this has generated a context of deep uncertainty for teachers, students and parents.
The laziness and lack of coordination of the authorities are serious, and even irresponsible, because the challenge is enormous and, if not handled properly, its consequences could be decisive for students and their families.
Last week, the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness () gathered available evidence on the implications of the educational crisis in our country and the result is worrying. The learning loss estimated for Mexico is equivalent to two school years, which could doom the students’ professional future.
The World Bank estimates that due to the pandemic the average student could lose up to 8% of their income during their entire productive life. This is the equivalent of taking a month’s pay from you each year!
It is important to emphasize that not all students will feel these effects the same. Those who during the pandemic have learned less or have forgotten more previous learning will have a harder time continuing their education or entering the job market.
The study estimates that at least 2.1 million students, 7% of the total, did not have access to devices to take their classes or support at home, so it is very likely that they present a greater academic lag than the rest.
This evidence should be reason enough to correct the course around the education sector. As Alexandra Zapata says in Washington, having quality public education should be the priority commitment of governments to close the inequality gap. This would have to be reflected in a larger budget.
To this I would add a call to the states to be consistent and transparent in their decisions regarding the sector. In addition, they should take advantage of their powers to redouble their efforts to diagnose and compensate for the educational backwardness in their territories.
The educational crisis in Mexico could be the most drastic sequel left by the pandemic, especially for families with lower incomes. The only way to combat it is by investing more in people, even if this means stopping buying old iron.
Editor’s Note: Fátima Masse is Director of Inclusive Society at IMCO. Follow her on Twitter like. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author alone.
