Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
Key takeaways
- “It will be ensured that all provisions of the curriculum are met and that the academic progress of all students is maintained,” Delgado wrote, without detailing how that would be achieved.
- Under the proposed schedule, the academic year would end on June 5 instead of July 15.
- “Using the FIFA World Cup as an argument to shorten the school calendar is unacceptable.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday appeared to roll back an announcement by her education minister that school holidays will start more than a month sooner than scheduled this summer due to the heat and the World Cup, saying the proposal was not yet final amid outrage from parents’ associations.
“Many Mexicans love soccer, we’re looking forward to the World Cup, so this proposal was made to bring the holidays forward, but we also have to take into account the children’s school days,” Sheinbaum told journalists at her daily morning press conference, adding that “there isn’t a set timeline yet” for the proposed reduction in the academic calendar.
The announcement to cut the school year was made in a post on X, on Thursday by Secretary of Education Mario Delgado, who said the National Council of Educational Authorities made the “modification” in response to a heat wave in the country as well as the hosting of the World Cup.