 |
|
|
 Editorials | Opinions | September 2007 
Why Mexican Schools Should Matter To Us
 William McKenzie - Dallas Morning News
go to original
 |  | If Mexico is going to grow or attract good-paying jobs, it needs a workforce that can staff those jobs. If not, the jobs will go to China, India or other developing nations. |  | |
There's more than one way to deal with the flow of Mexicans across the border.
Mexico President Felipe Calderón took one tack this month, which may not have jumped off the news pages as a way to curb migration. But consider that Mr. Calderón wants to collect more taxes, and it's logical to assume that effort, over time, could help more of his people stay home.
His point about tax collection: About 60 percent of Mexico's economy is what the experts call "informal" – in other words, mostly off the books.
Drive through big cities and small towns and you see what the numbers mean: Small food stands, neighborhood beauty salons and street vendors are common. Chances are, they do not pay federal taxes.
Part of the informal economy also includes bigger businesses that should pay taxes but don't. Everyone in Mexico knows this about the duality, but Mr. Calderón has shown the courage to do something about it. In a clever set of moves, he got the Mexican Congress to approve legislation that would require more companies to pay taxes.
Not only is that fair, it's one sure way Mexico can raise more revenue to fund its many needs. Better schools are one of Mr. Calderón's priorities, which gets us to the immigration issue.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington examined Mexico's "human capital" needs in 2005 and concluded that one of that nation's greatest challenges is the big gap between workforce skills and a global economy's demands.
I spoke with one contributor, Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, who went on at length about the haves and have-nots in Mexico education system. The haves are the private schools, where Mexico's upper-middle class puts its children. The have-nots are the public schools, where everyone else goes.
As you can guess, the haves get financial support from upper-middle-class parents to meet the needs of their campuses. The have-nots lack the money for good facilities, ample books, relevant curriculum or good teachers.
And it shows. Mexico ranked last in a survey by the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in math, science and literacy skills among 15-year-olds.
What does this have to do with immigration?
Plenty. If Mexico is going to grow or attract good-paying jobs, it needs a workforce that can staff those jobs. If not, the jobs will go to China, India or other developing nations, where leaders have put a premium on education. If jobs that pay bypass Mexico, Mexicans will keep coming north in search of decent wages.
This is why we have a clear interest in Mr. Calderón getting more money into Mexico's schools. It's also why we have a dog in the hunt when it comes to Mexican executives pressing for better schools.
That may sound paternalistic, but Texans faced a similar situation in the 1980s. Our schools weren't up to speed, and business leaders like Ross Perot and Tom Luce led the effort to improve them.
Many Texas business leaders have kept up the pressure, thankfully. Business groups like the Dallas Citizens Council and CEOs like Charles Butt of the H.E.B. grocery chain pushed Austin during recent legislative sessions to invest more in schools.
The same thing has been happening nationally, as computer magnates Bill Gates and Michael Dell have spearheaded efforts to improve high schools.
So I'm not asking Mexican businesses to do something that U.S. businesses haven't done. Now that they will pay more taxes, they ought to push for better schools. They should get some return on their investment. Some are starting to do it, too.
After I wrote about Mexico's schools this summer, state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso e-mailed to point out how business leaders in Chihuahua city in northern Mexico have launched a math and science effort. Ninth-grade algebra is even taught in a Motorola plant.
That's great, just what Mexico needs. And just what we need if we ever hope to see immigration flows ease. Felipe Calderón is taking a new kind of swing at the problem. Here's hoping his business community joins him.
William McKenzie is a Dallas Morning News editorial columnist. His email address is wmckenzie@dallasnews.com. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us