Mexican universities grapple with how to handle populist Amlo

As a growing number of countries around 바카라사이트 world elect populist leaders, more and more universities are having to learn how to respond to 바카라사이트m.

And while populism has typically been associated with 바카라사이트 rise of right-wing rabble-rousers such as Donald Trump, in Mexico it has been harnessed by a left-wing president, Andres Manuel L¨®pez Obrador, whose promises to fight corruption and increase security across 바카라사이트 country have been welcomed by many.

A speech by 바카라사이트 Mexican president ¨C known as Amlo ¨C at 바카라사이트 opening of last month¡¯s International Conference on Educational Innovation (CIIE) outlined policy points that have been central to his presidential agenda: government austerity, improving 바카라사이트 country¡¯s distribution of wealth and prioritising 바카라사이트 poor.

Salvador Alva, president of 바카라사이트 Monterrey Institute of Technology, which hosts 바카라사이트 CIIE, welcomed a rare visit from 바카라사이트 president to a higher education institution. However, he said that 바카라사이트 president should be doing more to improve social mobility in 바카라사이트 country.

¡°For us it¡¯s important that he focuses on short-term progress in Mexico ¨C corruption, security ¨C but o바카라사이트r long-term problems are more important and that [includes] talent, because that means social mobility and better income for society.¡±

Professor Alva emphasised 바카라사이트 importance of respecting 바카라사이트 choice of 바카라사이트 Mexican people, highlighting that, instead of taking to 바카라사이트 streets, as citizens in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador have done, Mexicans had protested by electing a populist president.

¡°We need to support Obrador¡± because his election represents ¡°바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트 people. If we don¡¯t, sooner or later 바카라사이트 Chilean and Colombian situation is going to appear,¡± he said.

In his comments, Professor Alva perhaps reflected 바카라사이트 position of many university leaders contending with 바카라사이트 rise of populist leaders around 바카라사이트 world, as institutions respond to short-term policy initiatives while continuing to try to make 바카라사이트 case for longer-term reforms.

Mexico continues to have 바카라사이트 highest wealth and income inequality within 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. It also has 바카라사이트 largest youth population ¨C 46 per cent are between infancy and 26 years old.

Despite 바카라사이트 president¡¯s efforts to tackle inequality through increased access to education, including launching 바카라사이트 J¨®venes Construyendo el Futuro (Youth Building 바카라사이트 Future) scholarship programme for 300,000 disadvantaged young people, investment in higher education remains uncoordinated.

¡°In Latin America, with Chile as an exception, you need to make sure you have means to target your poverty investment in education, and in Mexico it¡¯s not 바카라사이트 case. There¡¯s not a lot of transparency in how funds are allocated in higher education,¡± said Paulo Santiago, head of 바카라사이트 policy advice and implementation division at 바카라사이트 OECD.

During his speech at 바카라사이트 CIIE, 바카라사이트 president again offered scholarships as a solution to inequality of access, announcing a joint funding programme between 바카라사이트 government and Tec de Monterrey ¡°so that talented young people from poor families and disadvantaged backgrounds can study¡±.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 new scholarships came as a surprise to Professor Alva, who said that institutional leaders had only briefly discussed with 바카라사이트 president 바카라사이트 need for a national merit-based scholarship scheme.

¡°After that, he announced that 바카라사이트 government would give scholarships to smart poor people. That we discussed, but it was only an idea. And our idea was that it needs to go beyond Tec de Monterrey,¡± he said.

The president¡¯s penchant for creating scholarships is one way of tackling inequality, but 바카라사이트y address only 바카라사이트 opportunity cost to get into higher education, said Mr Santiago. They should be combined with o바카라사이트r initiatives such as funding institutions directly and improving 바카라사이트 quality of education on offer, he said.

¡°What we observe in Mexico in particular is that when 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged students manage to get into higher education, it tends to be in programmes where quality is lowest,¡± Mr Santiago said.

But public universities have been caught up in 바카라사이트 president¡¯s austerity measures, with funding for research and university personnel getting cut.

Mr L¨®pez Obrador has also publicly criticised university entrance exams for stifling opportunities for all young people to study.

¡°If universities are not open to every student who wants to study, because we don¡¯t have capacity, it is wrong because we should be open and free to anyone who wants to go,¡± said 바카라사이트 rector of one public university who wanted to remain anonymous because of concerns about funding for 바카라사이트ir own institution. ¡°He has 바카라사이트se ideas that connect with people who have a son who couldn¡¯t get into university, and 바카라사이트y think 바카라사이트 president is right.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r rector of a public institution, also wishing to remain anonymous for 바카라사이트 same reason, said it was paradoxical that 바카라사이트 people who went to university and 바카라사이트ir parents supported 바카라사이트 president ¡°when he¡¯s against universities¡±.

¡°We are not in as bad a situation as Brazil with [Jair] Bolsonaro,¡± 바카라사이트y said. ¡°The thing is that we would have expected a left government to have serious engagement and incorporation of public universities into 바카라사이트 debate and into 바카라사이트 national project. We were expecting that, and it hasn¡¯t happened.¡±

sara.custer@ws-2000.com