COVID-19 and Post-Pandemic Educational Policies in Mexico: What Is at Stake?

• In Event: Educational Impact of COVID-19: A Comparative Perspective Examining Finland, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, and South Africa

Abstract

The Latin American region is experiencing an educational crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic since efforts to contain the outbreak will grow the deep educational and economic gaps characterizing this region. During the pandemic, Mexico's central intervention to continue instructional activities in the basic education system was implementing distance education based on educational television. As expected, this intervention raised different concerns on its effectiveness and how different student populations will be affected. This paper describes and analyzes educational gaps before the pandemic, identifying the central educational policies implemented in previous decades; describes and analyzes educational policies implemented during the pandemic and how these may disproportionally affect students at risk; c) conducts a prospective analysis to identify potential effects of the sanitary crisis in the administration of the education system in Mexico, and d) identifies the main policy lessons resulting from the Mexican government response to the COVID-19 sanitary crisis.

Beyond the ideal selection and implementation of specific interventions or programs supported by evidence, there are three key aspects to be considered by decision-makers during the design of education recovery plans in Mexico. First, it is necessary to raise awareness among national actors and stakeholders about the magnitude and seriousness of the post-COVID education crisis. Raising awareness is crucial since that may help to increase the public education budget. Furthermore, it is necessary to effectively communicate that any effort to address educational inequalities associated with the COVID-19 crisis will require a long-term commitment, considering periods of at least nine or ten years.

The second aspect is that a policy window is now open to promote significant transformations on how education systems in the region must be organized. This situation opens an opportunity to diversify delivery methods (mainly through digitalization) and promote the adoption of lifelong learning policies since non-formal and informal education programs might become effective routes to develop skills among disadvantaged populations, including those who drop out from formal education programs. It can also help engage new educational actors (like local governments, community centers, or museums) and promote flexible and diverse learning opportunities. In other words, the design of educational policies in a post-pandemic period may result in an opportunity to organize strategies to create all kinds of learning opportunities - formal, non-formal, and informal. Finally, implementing an education recovery plan may inadvertently create new inequalities or deepen inequalities resulting from previous decisions, contexts, or policies. Reducing unfair conditions must be a permanent guiding principle while defining any intervention or recovery plan's characteristics.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new and unpredictable challenges to education systems. However, almost 12 months after the school closures, it is necessary to better understand the harmful effects of the COVID contention measures in Mexico, the characteristics of the exacerbated educational inequalities, and how school communities may respond to these challenges. Furthermore, it is essential to design potential interventions considering the pandemic's long-term effects, avoiding a simplistic perspective where the simple reopening of schools (a “business as usual approach”) will be the main--and only--immediate policy goal.

Author

• Sergio Cardenas, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas