Politics: The 4T's education disaster laid bare

MEXICO - Report 18 May 2026 by Guillermo Valdés and Francisco González

Mexico's education system has suffered a marked deterioration under the administrations of López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum. A recent incident encapsulates the broader dysfunction: Education Secretary Mario Delgado announced the abrupt early end of the 2025–2026 school year, claiming unanimous support from state authorities — a claim quickly contradicted by several state governments. President Sheinbaum publicly distanced herself from the decision, yet Delgado continued to defend it, creating an open rift between the ministry and the presidency. The proposal was ultimately reversed, but the episode laid bare Delgado's political weakness and the administration's lack of coherent governance.

This institutional dysfunction reflects deeper failures in education policy. Since 2018, the government has dismantled the merit-based teacher evaluation system, introduced an ideologically driven pedagogical model that marginalizes mathematics and key academic subjects, and cancelled proven programs — including 27,000 full-day schools and childcare centers serving hundreds of thousands of children. While grant recipients grew by 29% and spending on scholarships surged by 67%, overall education coverage fell, and total national enrollment declined for the first time in recorded history, with basic education coverage dropping from 95% to 89% between 2018 and 2025. Real education spending grew by only 2.4% between 2018 and 2025, while higher education funding was cut by -30%. Mexico's PISA scores deteriorated accordingly, with mathematics registering the sharpest decline. These setbacks represent a serious long-term constraint on the country's development.

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