Background on the Current State of Education Funding in Mexico
According to a study by the Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (IMCO), education is not a priority in Mexico’s public spending. Although the government plans to allocate 1.2 billion pesos to education in 2026, this amount represents only half of what the law mandates.
The proposed budget for 2026 amounts to 12.2% of the federal total and 4% of the national GDP, a proportion below the OECD average (5%). This figure is far from the 8% of GDP that the Ley General de Educación stipulates as necessary for ensuring access to education.
Education Spending Breakdown
For basic education (pre-school, primary, and secondary), 766,000 million pesos are planned for the upcoming year. This represents a real increase of 7.3% compared to 2025, primarily driven by the growth in scholarships.
However, more funds will be allocated to scholarships than higher education in 2026. The budget for higher education will be 181,000 million pesos (0.6% of GDP), a real decrease of 4% from 2025, resulting in the lowest allocation since 2000.
The budget for scholarships across all levels will reach 201,000 million pesos, which is 10% more than the amount designated for higher education.
IMCO’s Proposed Solutions
To tackle these challenges and optimize resource allocation, the IMCO suggests that the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (Inegi) and the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP) implement evaluation and transparency mechanisms.
These measures aim to assess the impact of scholarships on student retention and learning across all educational levels.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue highlighted in the article? The primary concern is that education is not a priority in Mexico’s public spending, with the proposed 2026 budget falling short of legal requirements.
- How does the 2026 education budget compare to previous years and legal standards? The proposed budget represents a real increase of 7.3% compared to 2025 but is only half of what the Ley General de Educación mandates as necessary for ensuring access to education.
- How are funds distributed among different educational levels? More funds will be allocated to scholarships than higher education in 2026, with basic education receiving the largest budget since 2015.
- What solutions does the IMCO propose to address these concerns? The IMCO recommends that Inegi and SHCP implement evaluation and transparency mechanisms to measure the impact of scholarships on student retention and learning across all educational levels.
