Failing grades for Mexico's education system

"Manual laborers of the future." That was the stinging headline on a story in the print edition of today’s El Financiero newspaper about the dismal performance of Mexican students in the latest education rankings put out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

According to analysis by El Financiero and other major dailies, Mexican 15-year-olds ranked dead last in their performance among the 30 member nations of the OECD and 49th overall out of the 57 countries that participated in the evaluation of math, science and reading abilities.

Just over half of Mexican students — 51% — exhibited extremely low proficiency in these critical areas. Only 3% scored in the top levels of science, compared with an average of 9% among OECD member countries.

The findings bode ill for Mexico, which can no longer compete with low-wage countries for factory jobs. The nation needs to harness its brainpower to move up the economic ladder. But the education system clearly is failing to prepare Mexico’s youth to compete in a global economy. For that, give Mexican educators a big, fat F.

Posted by Marla Dickerson in Mexico City

Comments

[Felipe Payan]

No surprise about the education report in Mexico What can you expect from a country with terrible inequality it seems the only hope for young Mexicans is to leave their tierra for better opportunities in el norte then ironically they want to be taught about their culture in the United States. Mexican people need a second revolution to address their socially backward country that cannot compete with the South Koreas, Taiwans, Singapores or China.
Mexico has enormous natural resources yet owned by foreigners who develop and reap the benefits of Mexico. Mexico's other natural resources the human resource toils aways in the United States cleaning toilets and dishes or other menial labor.