Mexican Education and Social Reform in the 1970s

Posted on Nov 13, 2024 in Social sciences

Educational and Social Reform in 1970s Mexico

Echeverría Administration (1970-1976)

Educational Reform

To address student unrest from 1968, President Luis Echeverría implemented educational reform, culminating in the Federal Education Law of November 1973. This reform had three main goals:

  1. Modernizing the education system
  2. Expanding access to education for all social groups
  3. Increasing flexibility to meet societal needs

Key innovations included:

  • Incorporating non-formal and open education models
  • Strengthening the autonomy of higher education institutions
  • Reorganizing the Secretariat of Public Education
  • Penalizing unauthorized teaching

Further actions taken:

  • Recognizing the autonomy of higher education as a right, not a privilege
  • Substantially increasing grants to universities (UNAM and IPN grants quadrupled, while provincial university grants increased more than tenfold)
  • Expanding enrollment in middle and higher education by opening new schools
  • Creating a national program for adult education
  • Establishing boarding schools for indigenous children from dispersed communities
  • Developing Castilianization programs in indigenous schools
  • Promoting cultural diffusion

López Portillo Administration (1976-1982)

Educational and Social Initiatives

The López Portillo administration focused on:

  • Creating intermediate educational pathways to offer alternatives for students unable to continue traditional studies
  • Expanding open education systems
  • Promoting technological, agricultural, industrial, and fishery education to enhance skilled workforce training
  • Establishing new regional research and teaching centers
  • Promoting a National Plan for Science and Technology

Social Programs and Institutions

Key institutions addressing social needs included:

  • Health and Social Security: IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute), ISSSTE (Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers), SSA (Secretariat of Health and Assistance)
  • Housing: FOVI (Housing Fund), INFONAVIT (National Workers’ Housing Fund Institute), CORETT (Commission for the Regularization of Land Tenure), FIDEURBE (Trust for Urban Development)
  • Consumption: CONASUPO (National Company of Popular Subsistence), LICONSA (Conasupo Industrialized Milk), DICONSA (Conasupo Distributor)
  • Poverty Alleviation: COPLAMAR (General Coordination of the National Plan for Deprived Zones and Marginal Groups), established in 1977
  • Food Security: SAM (Mexican Food System), established in March 1980