Officials order all Mexican schools to have electricity

“Without exception, all schools in the country will have electricity”, said Aurelio Nuño Mayer, head of the SEP (Public Education Secretariat), who noted that obviously electricity allows access to various tools to complement education, such as computers and internet.

The federal official explained further that currently 10.4 percent of schools lack electricity, a condition that is more dramatic in states such as Chiapas, Michoacan and Chihuahua, where the percentage is 20 or more.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in the XXI century,” he said during the signing of the agreement between the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) to provide electricity to campuses.

“With this important step, not only will we be lighting schools and classrooms in Mexico, but the future of the children and youth in the country will be brightened because electricity in schools promote more pride in education; they can have access to many more tools to complement their education,” said the secretary.

“Teachers, meanwhile, have access to more tools and information to give classes and to have a basic condition of quality in education and dignity in the service offered to Mexicans,” he added.

The event was attended by the CEOs of the CFE, Enrique Ochoa Reza; Operation of the CFE, Luis Carlos Hernandez, and the National Institute of Physical Educational Infrastructure (Inifed), Héctor Gutiérrez de la Garza.

Nuño Mayer said: “Finally, after almost 100 years (in relation to the creation of the national education system), we get 100 percent of the country’s schools with electricity, thanks to the conjunction of two reforms in educational and energy “.

The head of the SEP mentioned that the reform recognizes that, despite efforts, there are still pending tasks with quality and infrastructure.

He said that today, the Mexican educational system is the fifth largest in the world, with 34 million students, two million teachers and a little over 260,000 schools of education throughout the country.

Enrique Ochoa Reza said that electric power is a prerequisite for children in Mexico to allow them to receive a quality education.

“The power allows schools to expand their schedules, provide more opportunities for children and young people across Mexico. It also allows schools to be equipped with modern facilities such as science laboratories that contribute to better preparation in their studies.

“It also moves Mexico towards a knowledge society, as it opens the opportunity for classroom access to information technology and communication as teaching tools.”

The agreement states that an expanded in aerial and underground electrical networks will be completed to bring power to schools that lack the service or where it, for its quality, requires improvement. The plan also considers renewable energy sources for schools in rural areas.

Source: Vallarta Daily  (NTX / JRR / MAC / EDU16)