Mexico To Approve Free Higher Education

Mexico's Lower Chamber on Tuesday is set to approve a bill that establishes a "gradual transition" towards free higher education starting in 2022. 

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Free higher education will be guaranteed with a special fund that is not a substitute for the amounts allocated to public higher education institutions. Financial resources to the fund will be allocated annually on transparency, inclusion, and equity criteria.

By modifying the General Law of Higher Education (GLHE), the bill orders the State to strengthen teacher training colleges, universities, and updating centers.

The Lower Chamber's Education Commission Chairwoman Adela Piña highlighted that the bill was achieved through negotiation in consensus. It is expected that lawmakers pass it without changes.

The bill also includes norms related to gender violence in higher education institutions, programs to eliminate gender stereotypes, and strategies for students' safety on the campuses.

A place for all Mexican students will be guaranteed through a national system of higher education, which will be integrated by the university, technological, and teacher training subsystems. 

On Dec. 9, 2020, the Senate approved the GLHE that ratified university education's free and compulsory condition. The law also recognized universities' autonomy and freedom of teaching.