 |
|
|
 Editorials | Issues | December 2006 
Concerns Rising Over Education
 The Herald Mexico
| | Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the elections to Felipe Calderon last July and has since claimed fraud, holds up a banner saying 'Lopez Obrador, Legitimate President of Mexico' during a visit to the resort city of Cancun, Mexico on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. Last Nov 20, Lopez Obrador was named legitimate president of Mexico by his supporters and does not recognize the new government. (AP/Israel Leal) |
The Calderón administration´s proposed 4.5 billion-peso cut in education funding has set off a firestorm of negative reactions, and this week the United Nations offered its own criticism.
"Decreasing the education budget would be dangerous for the country and for its economic and social development," said Olivier Degreef, representative in Mexico of the United Nation´s Children´s Fund (UNICEF). "Obviously we are worried, but we´ll wait for the final budget that comes out of the Congress."
Also, lawmakers from the two major opposition parties formed a working group to restore the slashed education funds before the Chamber of Deputies approves a final budget sometime this month.
Deputies from the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) will join counterparts from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the budget modification effort.
On Tuesday, the Chamber´s Policy Coordination Board, controlled by the PRI, will present a resolution calling for the protection of the universities from any budget cuts.
Reactions to Calderón´s proposed education cuts were so heated over the weekend that even Education Secretary Josefina Vázquez Mota promised Monday to urge the Finance Secretariat to reconsider the decrease, which amounts to a 1.2 percent cut, or about US$415 million.
The Education Secretariat (SEP) oversees public education, from pre-school to post-graduate programs. Legislators and education professionals, however, have voiced the most concern in the last several days over the cuts´ possible effects on higher education, particularly on the nation´s most prestigious institutions, such as the National Autonomous University (UNAM).
Some lawmakers grumbled Monday that the cuts aimed at the universities may have been politically motivated. UNAM, which recently broke into the top 100 list of worldwide universities, has traditionally nurtured thinkers on the left opposed to the conservative policies of Calderón´s National Action Party (PAN).
On Friday, PAN Deputy Raúl Padilla lauded the idea of cutting UNAM´s budget. "I don´t think we can keep pouring money into education if we aren´t getting worthwhile academic results," he said.
Vázquez Mota met with deputies for two hours Monday in an attempt to calm the controversy. She heard concerns that the nation´s higher education system could be heading toward a crisis, with fewer students enrolling, fewer scholarships awarded and some campuses shutting down.
She responded positively, saying she was committed to "strengthening" the education budget and even suggesting the possibility of additional funds for the major public universities. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us