Mexican Education Reformed, Decentralized

Mexican education is being successfully reformed through policies of decentralization and renewed government orientation towards industry, Mexico's Minister of Education said in a speech at the Kennedy School last night.

Speaking to a crowd of 250, Ernesto Zedillo discussed his attempt to change primary and secondary education levels in Mexico.

Suggesting that recent state economic improvement lay the ground work for better "basic education", Zedillo said he hoped that government budget reform and the increased privatization of public works would allow a greater devotion of public works spending to social programs.

He also linked growth in Mexico's Gross Domestic Product to a rise in spending on education. The country's national expenditures on education have risen from 3.8 percent of GDP in 1988 to 5.5 percent in 1993.

"Education is a fundamental condition for development," Zedillo said, "It is now widely accepted that education--or investment in human capital--is key for GDP growth."