Education in Mexico is greatly segregated by social class. Children of wealthy families go to private schools with plenty of funding for books and materials, wile children of poor families attend schools with less money to spend on education these circumstance create disparate educational levels, and maintain the gap between the classes. although conditions are not ideal,the government takes steps to encourage education.
The Mexican government mandates education through the completion of the sixth grade, but many children traditionally choose work over school. the importance of the income generated by working children means that for many families their is a choice between survival and eduction. In spite of these difficulties, over the past five years steady improvement in school attendance has occurred:UNICEF reports that 84% of children who begin primary school reach grade five. A lower dropout rate means more young people are likely to continue on to a higher education , which may help lead children out of poverty. today more than 8 million young people are enrolled in schools beyond the primary level, almost 2 million more than in 1994.
The government has successfully started programs improve educational opportunities in Mexico. Under president Ernesto Zedillo more money and supplies have been channeled to schools than ever before. president zedillo's most recent state of the Union address outlines some of the progress that has been made. Government spending on education now amounts to 25 centavos of every peso spent by the government. this money is used to build new primary schools and technical schools.the money also helped to distribute free tax books to 90% of the public schools in Mexico. Nine out of ten children between the ages of six and fourteen are enrolled school,770,000 more than were enrolled in 1994.
Another program proving helpful to families with children is the PROGRESA program PROGRESA provides aid to the poorest of the poor in Mexico by providing money for schooling cost such as uniforms and textbooks for the families and health care for the children.These services are contingent on the children's school attendance. the PROGRESA program helps 2.3 million families who would not otherwise be able to afford schooling for their children. The government efforts have made a difference: the number of children starting school who finish sixth grade is increasing steadily. During The 1993-94 school year 74% finished the sixth grade, during the 1997-98 year the number rose to 83%, and the estimate for the 2000-01 school year shows 87% completing the sixth grade.
These steady trends of improvement are a good sign that the educational future of children in Mexico is improving.