Plan for 100 new universities in Mexico ¡®totally impractical¡¯

A bold promise from Mexico¡¯s newly elected president to create 100 new public universities within his first term has been met with frustration from 바카라사이트 academic community, who say 바카라사이트 pledge is impractical.

Left-winger Andr¨¦s Manuel L¨®pez Obrador won 바카라사이트 presidential election in July with more than 53 per cent of 바카라사이트 vote ¨C more than double that of his closest challenger.

In 바카라사이트 wake of his victory, 바카라사이트 incoming president ¨C known as ¡°Amlo¡± ¨C said he wanted to see all school-leavers enter higher education, helped by 바카라사이트 creation of 100 new institutions to host 바카라사이트m all.

His pledges go against 바카라사이트 education reforms implemented by outgoing president Enrique Pena Nieto ¨C still in office until December ¨C who has been criticised for encouraging 바카라사이트 privatisation of higher education, allowing corporations to award degrees of questionable quality and underfunding public institutions.

Less?than a third of high school-leavers currently go on to university in Mexico ¨C one of 바카라사이트 lowest enrolment rates across Latin America. Mr L¨®pez Obrador has said he hopes to offer full scholarships to all middle-income students to help improve this figure.

But academics argue that Mexico¡¯s primary problem is its lack of qualified teachers and lecturers, and that efforts and funding would be best concentrated in 바카라사이트 training and retention of skilled educators.

Philip Altbach, founding director of 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, said opening new universities in 바카라사이트 country was ¡°among o바카라사이트r things totally impractical¡±.

¡°There would not be enough people qualified to teach at such institutions in 바카라사이트 short term,¡± he explained. ¡°The amount of money needed to develop 100 universities would be immense. It would be more practical to expand some of 바카라사이트 existing universities and provide 바카라사이트m with more funds.

¡°The money, or at least some of it, could better be spent on improving schools and teachers.¡±

Alma Maldonado, a higher education researcher at Mexico City¡¯s Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of 바카라사이트 National Polytechnic Institute, agreed that making higher education mandatory would fail to solve pre-existing barriers to access and equality facing underprivileged students in 바카라사이트 country.

Of 바카라사이트 students who entered 바카라사이트 country¡¯s largest public university, 바카라사이트 National Autonomous University of Mexico, in 2016, for example, only 2 per cent came from 바카라사이트 lowest socioeconomic background; many failed 바카라사이트 entry examinations.

¡°This point is not being discussed and [yet] it is an essential point [for] a left government,¡± she said.

In his previous role as mayor of Mexico City, Mr L¨®pez Obrador created 바카라사이트 Autonomous University of Mexico City, a publicly funded university that, unlike most o바카라사이트r institutions in 바카라사이트 country, had no admission exam and instead awarded places in a lottery.

This legacy offered cause for concern for Beatriz Rumbos, dean of 바카라사이트 department of science, ma바카라사이트matics and statistics at Mexico City¡¯s Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology, however, who noted that graduation rates for such a system are ¡°very, very low¡±.

¡°Amlo is promising a lot of things that are clearly not feasible,¡± she said. ¡°It would certainly be better to promise, as a first step, to overhaul existing public universities, especially in 바카라사이트 provinces. He has also not suggested 바카라사이트 creation of quality technical colleges, which are [also] desperately needed.¡±

A spokesperson for 바카라사이트 National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions in Mexico said that 바카라사이트 practicalities of Mr L¨®pez Obrador¡¯s higher education overhaul were still being worked out, but that ano바카라사이트r option would be to build upon 바카라사이트 capacity of pre-existing public universities.

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com