A study conducted by Mexico Evalúa and Tecnológico de Monterrey revealed that after the closure of schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half a million students left school.
The highest dropout rate was seen at the preschool level, whose enrollment decreased by 13%. The second most affected sector was the upper middle level, with a 7% reduction in its enrollment.
Mexico is experiencing an educational tragedy: more than half a million students stopped attending school.
The government is navigating blindly on the issue of education. There are no diagnoses on the effects of post-pandemic learning: @marco_fdezm https://t.co/4j0wm2kmoK pic.twitter.com/7T881d8wcg
— Mexico Evaluates (@mexevalua) June 3, 2022
The figures highlight that after the closure of schools, Mexico lost a year and a half in terms of learning.
Private schools faced the biggest reduction in their enrollment, -26%, with a loss of more than 250,000 students, according to the study.
The most affected students were those who already had school problems prior to the pandemic, in addition to the poorest students.
Education in Mexico: historical fall in upper secondary
The study revealed that the phenomenon of desertion at the upper middle level is not new, but the pandemic exacerbated it. Even despite the Benito Juárez scholarships, this government has seen, for the first time, a notable drop in enrollment.
“Before school closures: the reduction has been 366,954 students from 2018 to 2021.” 8% of young people who finish high school do not enter high school. This problem was not caused by the pandemic; in this government, a fall in the enrollment of upper secondary education was observed for the first time, despite the Benito Juárez Scholarships.”
Regarding those who drop out of school the most, the study revealed that the fall effect is twice as much in men as in women.
“Today we have 10% fewer male students and 5% fewer women in the classroom than at the beginning of the current administration. By entity, Colima and Jalisco show the most drastic falls, with 15.7% and 14.5%, respectively.”
No response
The study emphasizes that despite this educational crisis, the Mexican government has not implemented actions to improve the school situation.
“Faced with these problems, Mexico Evaluates warns that the authorities have been ignorant of the emergency situation facing public education in Mexico and that an action plan based on evidence needs to be implemented to address the effects on learning, the fall in enrollment and the problems of educational inequality. Otherwise, a cycle of inequality and poverty will be perpetuated for the country’s students,” the study details.
Nor is there enough information to know more deeply and precisely the effects of the pandemic on education.
In addition, the study indicates that there are fewer and fewer resources in strategic focuses such as distance classes or teacher training.
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