| | |  Editorials | Issues 
Universities Crucial to Development of Latin America
 Suzanne Stephens Waller - Presidencia de la República
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June 02, 2010
| | President Felipe Calderón inaugurates II International Congress of Universia Deans, Municipality of Guadalajara, Jalisco. | |
Guadalajara, Jalisco - President Felipe Calderón said that in the century of knowledge, higher education institutions are called to play a strategic role in Latin America.
“That is why supporting higher education institutions is essential for enabling our countries to achieve full development and better living standards for their inhabitants,” said the president during the inauguration of the 2nd International Meeting of UNIVERSIA Deans in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
“Education, technique and knowledge continue to be the tool for achieving competitiveness in our countries, and for preventing and solving serious catastrophes and dealing with problems that constitute a major threat to mankind, such as climate change,” he said.
Accompanied by state governor, Emilio González, the President said that Mexicans are aware that universities are part of the nation’s most valuable assets, since they provide much of the knowledge required to meet human needs, such as improving the population’s health, boosting production in the countryside and industry and technological and financial services.
Addressing deans from the four continents, the President said that Mexico is working to ensure that, through an educational reform for quality, Mexican youth will obtain access to the opportunities provided by higher education and thereby promote national development.
“We know that equal opportunities are expressed through opportunities for education, which is the only true equalizer in our society, in that it provides any young person, regards of his social, regional or economic status, with the opportunity to know, learn, conduct research and be better trained, to achieve better life opportunities,” he said.
He said that the past three years have seen an increase in higher education coverage among the population aged 18 to 23 from 25% in 2006 to over 29% in 2010. He added that the goal for 2012 to achieve 30% coverage will be achieved by the end of this year.
“In order to increase this coverage, during the first three years of this administration, 75 new higher education institutions were built and 33 existing institutions were expanded. This year we plan to open 20 higher education institutions in various states in the country,” he added.
At the end of this event, President Calderón will visit the Municipio de Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, to launch the National Vaccination Week and inaugurate the General Hospital in Zone No. 21. |
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