A Coder's Notebook:

In Mexico TV and newspapers are filled with stories of government programs and politicians giving things to people. As the new school year began this month there were stories of the government giving pencils, pens, notebooks, and geometry instruments to students. There was also a news story about the delivery of text books to schools  and the lack of school materials, particularly in the poorest areas of the country. There is a lot of talk by Mexican politicians but little action, and it is not their fault.  A large part of Mexican society does not place enough importance on education to have the will to have their children educated, but when the parents get old they expect their uneducated children to support them.  It is the parents responsibility to ensure that their children have a good teacher, the most important tool in education.

While money is an important issue, it is not necessary if the public’s will to be educated is strong enough. A log cabin, a chalk board and a good teacher was once enough to teach reading, writing,  arithmetic,  art, history and science.  In the United States schools are usually funded locally through property taxation and by the state. In Mexico the revenue from property taxation is too low in most municipalities. The people are either too poor or unwilling to pay property taxes, if any at all. If most property owners pay $206 pesos ($17 USD) a year, where is the money to buy school materials and pay for good teachers? $206 pesos is the actual amount a homeowner paid in 2008 to the city  Ciudad Fernandez in San Luis Potosi, for his small one floor house. He said $2000 to $3000 pesos is typically paid by owners of two storey houses. The public primary and secondary school teachers are paid by the state, around $3000 to $4000 pesos a month,  and the state receives some money from the federal government.  At $4000 pesos or $350 USD per month, the people willing to work in the schools are not qualified to do much more than baby sit the students.

In the poorer cities most labor is informal and not taxed. Therefore, residents either have to cough up more in property taxes,  beg, or demand money from others to pay for the school supplies and books for their children. With rights comes responsibilities, and parents have the ultimate responsibility to educate their children. There is currently a large population of Mexicans that are too old and ill to work,  and many of them wonder why their children don’t provide them with enough support to eat decently and consistently.