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History shows that great changes –such as Cardenismo and, decades later, neoliberalism– made education one of the most dynamic nuclei of transformation. Change education to change the country
seemed to be the motto of these initiatives and there is no doubt that they were successful. In the case of Cardenismo, the idea of sovereignty, its own natural resources, social and labor justice, land, education for all and popular organization still remains in force today, which was a vital part of Cardenismo’s interpretation of the meaning of the Revolution. Mexican, and what she promoted through education.
After almost a century, these theses are still present in most of the popular movements, and they were recently in the powerful teachers’ movement of the CNTE. And it is not strange that the 4T resumes the figure of Cárdenas along with the Independence and the Reform at the time to position itself in the national symbology. The electoral avalanche that brought her to power has a connection to an educational past that is still present.
The neoliberalism of the 1980s and 1990s considered that in order to change Mexican society it was necessary to equally and thoroughly change education. Not learning, but above all politics, the basic forms of relationship between teachers and students –educational actors– around the work of universities and schools. For this reason, he emphasized individualism, competition, quality, and the subordination of educational work to monetary rewards and the subordinate evaluation of others. It granted preferential rights to the best (students, teachers, institutions), introduced external and private evaluation, the university-company relationship and intensive commercialization, that is, it gave access to new powers in the institution.
It largely eliminated gratuity and managed to shut down the autonomies because in education they are the dynamic nucleus of the institution’s leadership and determination of the relationship with the powers of the State and social forces. In other words, a profoundly political change, which has served to silence universities and schools and prevent their participation in the life of the nation and its region. It has demonized social movements, increasingly subordinated the institution to state power and private interests, and has impoverished –with politicking and commercial interests– university life.
In this context, it is striking that the leaders of the 4T, governors, deputies and senators, after 30 years of neoliberalism have not raised the need to recover a social education project, and a nation project whose core and fundamental dynamism is born and is constantly renewed in education. Instead of, as he has done up to now, thinking only about staying in power. When the leadership of education is placed first in the hands of Tv Azteca and recently and symbolically (Conalep) in the hands of the right, there is reason to doubt the real will for a transformation in education. And this is further confirmed by creating a constitutional and legal reform that not only does not contradict the neoliberal culture, but has already given legality to its basic elements mentioned above.
It is true that the exclusive term of quality
but only to assume the excellence
(Article 3), which is much further removed from the purpose of creating an education accessible to all. Especially in a society that at the higher levels has one of the lowest coverage in Latin America. It is then understandable why the current leadership of education is not interested in rescuing the past successes of public universities, nor those of the present, such as the Autonomous Community University of Oaxaca and the UACM of Mexico City. Institutions that in labor, academic and democratic terms go much further than the current neoliberal proposal. And in basic education instead of recovering the decades of education projects of the teachers of Chiapas, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, they insist on a pedagogical proposal from above and radical language, but that lacks a clear and massive support . In addition to the insufficiency of the current non-project, the abandonment of the Ayotzinapa case is very significant and, at the same time, that in Guerrero the state police shoot at normalistas and injure two of them ( the day 12/17/22).
The message is clear and ominous: unless there is a different project, the empty space of neoliberalism is filled by the forces of the intransigent right and that leads to conflict. But there is an option: if in Mexico City and Oaxaca, with the support of local governments, the university was thoroughly transformed, at other levels and entities, such as the aforementioned cases of the UAM and Unison, a change is also perfectly possible. peaceful and background. If you want.
* UAM-Xochimilco
