Introduction
Mario Delgado Carrillo, the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), presented his first report to the Mexican Senate regarding President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s government. The presentation highlighted significant educational achievements, including becas (scholarships), textbooks, and infrastructure improvements.
Educational Scholarships
Delgado Carrillo announced that the Program of Scholarships reached over 13.3 million students across all educational levels during the first year of the current administration. The program aims to expand its reach, providing support to 20 million students by 2026.
The SEP allocated 24.5 billion pesos to benefit 70,000 basic education schools and 6,000 high school facilities through the “La Escuela es Nuestra” program.
Literacy and Reducing Educational Gaps
Mexico is on track to eliminate illiteracy by 2026, reducing the educational gap to less than 4% nationwide. This achievement is a testament to the government’s commitment to making education accessible and removing barriers to learning.
Textbooks and Educational Materials
Delgado Carrillo reported that 154.5 million copies of the new Free Textbooks (LTG) were distributed, celebrating Mexico’s cultural and linguistic diversity. These textbooks include materials in 20 indigenous languages.
Health and Wellness Initiatives
The National Healthy, Happy Living Strategy was launched in March, emphasizing the connection between health and education. This initiative successfully removed junk food and sugary drinks from 86% of schools.
Moreover, over 6.5 million students received health assessments in more than 50,000 public primary schools, supported by specialists from the IMSS, DIF, and the Secretariat of Health. The program provided digital health school records and free glasses to foster the healthiest generation in history.
Anti-Addiction and Peacebuilding Strategies
The SEP’s anti-addiction and peacebuilding strategy, “El fentanilo mata. Elige ser feliz,” reached 6.3 million secondary and 5.5 million upper-secondary students across 63,500 schools.
To strengthen this strategy, one million teacher guides and 10 million family guidance materials were distributed nationwide. The government emphasized zero tolerance for bullying, violence, and sexual harassment in educational institutions.
Infrastructure Development
The SEP’s “La Escuela es Nuestra” (LEEN) program, which now includes upper-secondary education for the first time, will receive 24.5 billion pesos next year to benefit 70,000 basic education schools and 6,000 high school facilities.
In just one year, the current administration has established 20 new technology-focused high schools, expanded and converted 35 existing institutions, adding over 37,000 new places in high school. The six-year goal is to achieve an 85% coverage rate with 120,000 new places—an unprecedented figure.
The elimination of the COMIPEMS exam and the creation of “Mi derecho, mi lugar” platform have allowed 272,000+ youth in the Greater Mexico City Metropolitan Area to choose their schools directly, with 97.4% of applicants selecting from their top three options—a significant improvement from the previous 49%.
These changes, along with the Nuevo Bachillerato Nacional, have drastically reduced dropout rates.
Higher Education
Delgado Carrillo emphasized the need for universities to adapt their educational models, focusing on producing well-rounded individuals with critical and creative abilities.
He highlighted the creation of SaberesMX, a platform aimed at democratizing knowledge and reforming Mexico’s higher education architecture with the active participation of universities and research centers.
The SEP implemented a plan to significantly increase enrollment; this year alone, 114,000 additional spots were added, resulting in a 55% coverage rate in higher education.
A plan is underway to generate 330,000 new spaces through the Rosario Castellanos University, Benito Juárez Universities for Well-being, IPN, and the National Technological Institute of Mexico (TeCNM).
Teacher Salaries and Recognition
Delgado Carrillo stressed that teachers are allies in the transformation process, leading to unprecedented salary increases: two 10% raises in 2024 and 2025, demonstrating the government’s commitment to education.
Senator Ana Karen Hernández Aceves’ Remarks
Senator Ana Karen Hernández Aceves (PT) acknowledged the current administration’s focus on girls and adolescents as crucial agents of transformation, emphasizing their importance in educational policies led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
She highlighted significant progress in all educational levels, particularly in the LEEN program promoting democratic schools.
Addressing Concerns about Assessments
When questioned about Mexico’s withdrawal from the PISA test and the disappearance of Mejoredu data, Delgado Carrillo clarified that Mexico continues to administer the PISA test, with 7,847 secondary and upper-secondary students participating this year in 297 schools.
Additionally, the SEP conducts its own assessments involving one million students and teachers. The Mejoredu data is being migrated to SEP platforms, and it will be made public once the process concludes.
