Higher Education In Mexico

This report finds that the Mexican higher education system needs to be better aligned with the labour market to help students develop the skills employers seek. Students need better support to succeed in their higher education studies and develop labour market relevant skills, which will help facili

This review of higher education policy in Mexico was requested by the Mexican Ministry of Education to take stock of progress since the last OECD review of the higher education system in Mexico, published in 2008, and to support development of the new government’s National Development Plan...

This review focuses on higher education in Mexico and also covers the upper secondary level including the broader range of education and training courses and institutions for students who complete basic education. Part 1 provides background data on Mexico and its system of higher education. Chapter 1 includes a general description of Mexico today including geography, population characteristics, socioeconomic trends and the position of higher education. Chapter 2 is concerned with the history of higher education, the philosophy of current educational policies, laws and regulations, the structure of higher education and its financial support. Chapter 3 addresses the history and structure of higher education in Mexico. Chapter 4 describes performance and trends including growth in enrollment, faculty, and activities. Chapter 5 considers governance. Chapter 6 looks at challenges to higher education in Mexico. Part 2, the Examiners' Reports, analyzes the context of the debate on educational reform occurring in Mexico, describes the unique system of post-compulsory education, describes the central issues for reform, and describes the instruments used for evaluation. The major conclusions include the need for: equity, differentiation and flexibility, quality, staff development, change in method of financial support, and creation of a national upper secondary education system. (JLS)

Over the last three decades, a significant amount of research has sought to relate educational institutions, policies, practices and reforms to social structures and agencies. A number of models have been developed that have become the basis for attempting to understand the complex relation between education and society. At the same time, national and international bodies tasked with improving educational performances seem to be writing in a void, in that there is no rigorous theory guiding their work, and their documents exhibit few references to groups, institutions and forces that can impede or promote their programmes and projects. As a result, the recommendations these bodies provide to their clients display little to no comprehension of how and under what conditions the recommendations can be put into effect. The Education System in Mexico directly addresses this problem. By combining abstract insights with the practicalities of educational reforms, policies, practices and their social antecedents, it offers a long overdue reflection of the history, effects and significance of the Mexican educational system, as well as presenting a more cogent understanding of the relationship between educational institutions and social forces in Mexico and around the world.

This report finds that the Mexican higher education system needs to be better aligned with the labour market to help students develop the skills employers seek. Students need better support to succeed in their higher education studies and develop labour market relevant skills, which will help facili