This note provides an overview of Mexico’s digital education ecosystem, including the digital tools for system and institutional management and digital resources for teaching and learning that are publicly provided to schools and educational stakeholders. The note outlines how public responsibilities for the governance of digital education are divided and examines how Mexico supports the equitable and effective access to and use of digital technology and data in education. This includes through practices and policies on procurement, interoperability, data privacy and regulation, and digital competencies. Finally, the note discusses how Mexico engages in any initiatives, including with the EdTech sector, to drive innovation and research and development towards an effective digital ecosystem.
Country Digital Education Ecosystems and Governance
22. Mexico
Abstract
Key features
Mexico has a large and devolved education system where the federal government shares responsibility with states for providing and governing education. Typically, states provide institutional management systems to schools under their responsibility, while the federal government maintains and provides a comprehensive student information system for whole country and coordinates data collection from schools for management and statistical purposes.
The federal government also provides digital resources for teaching and learning. Some of them are openly available to anyone in the country, most notably through a public repository of open educational resources and a MOOCs platform.
Mexico’s most recent digital education strategy, coordinated federally while states conserve large autonomy on their respective education systems, emphasises on the provision of Internet connectivity, digital equipment, and technical support to schools, with particular attention given to those located in socio-economically disadvantaged regions and rural areas, as well as to students with special education needs.
The federal government also sets rules and offers guidance regarding the access, use, and protection of data. It also fosters the interoperability of the digital ecosystem by setting requirements on data exchanges with states’ authorities, provides support for school procurement, and incentivises the development of digital competences for teachers and students.
General policy context
Division of responsibility
Mexico has one of the largest education systems in Latin America. Governance over schools is complex, not only due to its size – over 250 000 schools serving about 29 million students in basic education as of the 2022/23 school year – but also due to significant diversity in geographical, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds within the country.1 Education is compulsory for the first 12 years, comprising primary and secondary education, and the Mexican Constitution mandates the government – at the federal, state, or municipality level – to provide it secular and free of charge to all.2
Overall governance over the Mexican education system is one of the responsibilities of the Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaria de Educación Publica – SEP), acting as a federal ministry of education under the cabinet of the President of the Republic. Responsibility over public schools, which concentrate around 85% of student enrolments in basic education as of the 2022/23 school year, is split with sub-national governments of Mexico’s federal entities with the exception of Mexico City, which is directly under the responsibility of SEP.3 States are then autonomous to operate schools within their local education systems, including special education and schools serving the indigenous population.
This shared governance means that the provision and support of digital technology in education is also devolved, with states providing institutional management systems to schools under their responsibility. However, the federal government maintains and provides a comprehensive student information system (or education management platform), maintaining and connecting student, teacher, and school data. Responsibility for the provision of resources for teaching and learning is also shared, given the autonomy of state-level governments to adapt the curriculum to better fit their contexts, leading to local development and provision of resources.
Regulations regarding the access, use, and protection of data collected within the educational system are in place, falling within the remit of the federal government. Furthermore, a variety of rules exist regarding interoperability, albeit focused on providing data of sufficient quality for certifications, but several provisions and proactive enforcement is exercised when it comes to compliance regarding data transfers within the national student information system.
Digital education strategy
Digitalisation is of central importance in Mexico, playing a significant role in government-wide and education-specific policy documents as a lever for equity and increased competitiveness in the 21st century. The national digital strategy co-ordination (Coordinación de Estrategia Digital Nacional – CEDN), an independent department under the federal government, oversees the implementation of Mexico’s national digital strategy along strategic axes along its national development plan and across secretariats, ministries, and agencies. 4 5 6
While states maintain significant autonomy over their educational systems, the federal government enacts top-down policy and sets the strategy and the regulatory backdrop for digital education in Mexico. Indeed, the production of a national digital education strategy – the Agenda Digital Educativa – has been enshrined into the legislation regulating education in the country, and a document for the 2020-2024 period has been produced. 7 8 One of the axes of said strategy lies in the provision of connectivity, equipment, and technical support to schools, with a particular emphasis on those located in regions with less socio-economically advantaged backgrounds and in rural areas. The support of these students in remote areas, and those with special educational needs (SEN), are also of particular concern, being targeted by a specific national inclusive education policy, of which the use of digital technology in the classroom is one of the elements. 9
The public digital education infrastructure
The Mexican federal government provides central components of the public digital education ecosystem, either directly or through partnerships with external stakeholders, notably universities. The latter results in the curation of open educational resource repositories, while the former consists of a comprehensive student information system directly provided by the Secretariat for Public Education to all schools. In addition to these notable examples, the present section reviews two aspects of public digital infrastructure in Mexico: digital tools and resources for system and school management, and digital learning resources for teaching and learning.
Digital ecosystem for system and school management
Student information system and learning management systems
Even though the responsibility for governing the operations of public schools is devolved to state-level authorities, the federal government provides significant infrastructure with respect to student information systems with accompanying obligations on data collection from schools for management and statistical purposes.
A focal point of this infrastructure is the SIGED (Sistema de Información y Gestión Educativa), a comprehensive digital platform containing data from the entire Mexican education system – students, teachers and school staff, and schools – as well as documents and information on credentials, thus serving as an institution management information system, a student information system, and a platform for digital credentials.10 Data entry into the SIGED is mandatory, and interoperability standards are in place for data exchange between SIGED and other systems supported by the government, so data can be seamlessly and timely pushed into the information system.
A wealth of information is available through the SIGED, both for the general public and for administrators of the education system. The general public has access to a variety of education statistics for student and school data collected from schools through analytical dashboards, information on teacher and school staff paid through public funds for education payroll (Fondo de Aportaciones para la Nómina Educativa y Gasto Operativo, FONE) as well as vacancies for positions under this funding regime, historical information on teacher career progression (through the Unidad del Sistema para la Carrera de las Maestras y Maestros, USICAMM), and other information on school funding. In addition, the SIGED is also interoperable with a module dedicated to the digital certification of students progressing through the education system (the Módulo Eletronico de Certificacion, MEC).11
Restricted access sections also exist for education authorities within the SIGED, allowing access to the management system collecting and managing education data for the SIGED education data collected for statistical purposed through the so-called 911 Questionnaires (including modules on computational and ICT infrastructure), and to administrative and financial data, such as staff payroll, related to schools within their responsibility.12 The provision of learning management systems is more diverse in Mexican schools, as those tend to be adopted at the school level with some variation from state to state.
Admission and guidance
The federal government provides and maintains several portals related to student guidance and support towards further steps in basic education, as well as on career guidance. Support through physical and digital resources are available to prepare students for the lower secondary certification at the Preparatoria Abierta platform, allowing progress to upper secondary.13 Notably, students at the latter stage are supported by several career guidance and support platforms. The choice of institution is central to student aspirations, as one can be directed through a general or a vocational upper secondary education, and a platform with institutions and vocational guidance has been put in place to support students, with dedicated resources in place for those willing to complement their vocational education with on-site apprenticeships.14 15 16 For those that dropped out before or during the upper secondary cycle, there are also support options: the Prepa en Linea portal, for instance, offers an online self-paced course for students to catch up and obtain their upper Secondary certification, with access to digital resources and tutors.17
Digital ecosystem for teaching and learning
The federal government provides a wide variety of digital resources for teaching and learning in Mexico. Some of these resources are curriculum-based, initially prepared as means to support learning during the periods of school closure caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, whereas others are broader, involving educational content for leisure. Regardless of purpose, access to all resources is open and free of charge not only for students but to the general population as well.
Said resources are offered in varied formats, reflecting the diverse means and capability to access it and existing on their intended audiences. In addition, the significant disruption caused by the global pandemic prompted the creation of digital resources to ensure continuity of teaching and learning during the period. A response at the federal level in Mexico was the Aprende en Casa programme, which combined the production of an open educational resources (OER) repository containing curriculum-based materials, week-by-week planning for remote studying and materials for teachers (via a dedicated portal, Maestros y Maestras en Casa) with TV and radio education, as well as social media channels for learners and teachers to reach students during school closures.18 19 The initiative continued after the end of the public health emergency and was expanded to also serve Mexican nationals abroad.
The programme added to an existing portfolio of initiatives led by the federal government. For instance, the Jovenes en Casa platform (http://jovenesencasa.sep.gob.mx) offers a similar approach to the pandemic-inspired programme but focuses more on culture, reading for leisure, and socio-emotional competences, while maintaining a similar approach of providing static learning resources, video content, and guidance for teachers. Static learning resources – mostly digitised textbooks and books – are also made available by the national commission for free textbooks (Comisión Nacional de Libros de Texto Gratuitos – CONALITEG), a network of partners coordinated by the Secretariat for Public Education, that set up another OER platform with books on a wide range of subjects at https://libros.conaliteg.gob.mx/.
In addition to these initiatives, there is also a supported platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): MexicoX (https://mexicox.gob.mx/). The platform offers courses for students but also doubles as a platform for teacher development. Beyond the general student population, dedicated initiatives also exist to provide accessible materials, textbooks, and other resources for students with special educational needs. Those are not necessarily openly available, but there are earmarked subsidies for their development, for instance through dedicated funding programmes mentioned in more details below.
States and municipalities can also provide additional resources for teaching and learning, but the exact offer differs across municipalities. As in most OECD member countries, no survey has been conducted on the adoption of digital tools and resources and resources at the school level. However, government officials estimate that the use of virtual classroom environments markedly increased during the pandemic and might still be on use today, especially freely available tools and resources such as Google Classroom.
Access, use and governance of digital technologies and data in education
Ensuring access and supporting use
Equity of access
Providing equal access to quality, inclusive education is a central policy goal in Mexico as outlined in its general education law, and digital technology and competences are seen as key catalysts to this end as per its digital strategy. The central objective of said strategy is to leverage technology to bring 21st century skills to all students, and ultimately all Mexicans, but there are some groups of interest given the country’s wide diversity.
Indeed, the national general education law enshrines support to students with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, mandating the creation of inclusive, cross-cutting policies prioritising those whose socio-economic disadvantage might hinder their access to education. Similarly, the law mandates the federal, state, or municipality governments to establish partnerships whenever suitable to support schools in regions with disadvantaged socio-economic conditions.20 In addition, the government is mandated to support students and schools serving populations in remote locations, such as those in rural regions or within indigenous communities.21 Finally, students with special education needs are also outlined under this general law, where teacher initial training is to include students with disabilities, and technology to be leveraged to include these students.22 These policies focus on public schools.
Data collected by the OECD TALIS study across the 2017/18 school year (OECD, 2022[1]) provide some evidence of the equity of access to digital infrastructure across Mexico, at least in terms of access to hardware infrastructure. Before the COVID‑19 outbreak, 63% of lower secondary principals in public schools reported that their schools’ capacity to provide quality instruction was hindered by shortage or inadequacy of digital technology for instruction, and 53% that it was hindered by insufficient Internet access (compared to 25% and 19%, respectively, on average across the OECD). The latter statistic also points at a significant urban to rural divide in access to the Internet, with 37% of lower secondary principals of schools in urban areas reporting difficulties due to connectivity against 82% of lower secondary principals at schools in rural areas.
Even though having equitable access to hardware infrastructure and connectivity is not a sufficient condition to foster equity in the use of software tools and resources, a measure of availability is a necessary condition to achieve it. Sections below describe some efforts Mexico is implementing to address this connectivity and availability divide.
Supporting the use of digital tools and resources
The federal government plays a variety of roles, some direct, others indirect, to support the use of digital tools and resources. Notably, the federal government provides a universally used information system to collect data from students, staff, and schools in all Mexican educational institutions, while also procuring learning materials directly for all educational institutions that wish to use them. In addition, indirect incentives are in place, either financial or non-monetary, to foster the use of digital tools and resources.
Indeed, the Secretariat for Public Education mandates the use and data entry into the SIGED (i.e., the student information system used nationally) and the timely provision of other statistical information such as the “911 forms” that are pushed to other management systems and analytical dashboards. Schools are supported to fulfil this obligation through central guidance, via dedicated websites and helpdesks and on-demand technical support. In addition, the development of digital competences in students and teachers is mandated by the general education law in lesson plans and is a curriculum requirement for institutions funded or recognised by the government.23
Furthermore, the use of provided digital tools and resources can act as a financial incentive by increasing efficiency and thus decreasing costs. Namely, this gain can be realised through reduced costs and administrative overheads through the use of two digital certification modules – the Módulo Electrónico de Certificación (MEC) and the Módulo Eletrónico de Titulos (MET) – both interoperable systems with the SIGED that can streamline the emission of officially valid certificates for all levels of education.24 25
Finally, the government also provides earmarked subsidies for the purchase of digital tools and resources, and creation or provision of digital materials and technologies that promote accessibility for students with special education needs through a dedicated grant-awarding programme.26 In addition, the use of approved digital tools and resources might be fostered by the careful review and approval by mandated organisations that are able to set up procurement frameworks, approved lists of suppliers, or framework contracts. In Mexico, the national digital strategy co-ordination (Coordinación de Estrategia Digital Nacional – CEDN) reviews and approves all federal government projects about or involving information and digital technologies.
Cultivating the digital literacy of education stakeholders
As mentioned above, developing digital literacy of teachers is a central policy goal in Mexico. To achieve this goal, the federal government supports initiatives to foster teachers’ digital competences, offering opportunities for professional in-service development and technical support for teachers weaving technology into their practice.
Teachers can acquire digital competences through several Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) provided by the federal government, often in co-operation with universities. Several courses on the basics of using digital technology in the classroom were made available in the above-mentioned MexicoX portal (https://mexicox.gob.mx/), but more directed courses aimed at teaching staff were also produced by the Secretariat for Public Education on more operational subjects using digital tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams).27 In addition, static digital resources for teachers were prepared for use in the classroom, for instance on conflict resolution and socio-emotional competences, and on aspects of upper secondary teaching practice related to the school environment such as dealing with violence and conflict.28 29 In-person teacher training is available in a variety of themes related to the new Mexican school (Nueva Escuela Mexicana) paradigm, which included digital competences.30 31
These initiatives build up on a teacher population that tends to receive pre-service ICT training but might not engage in much in-service ICT training. Indeed, TALIS 2018 data for Mexico show that 77% of lower secondary teachers report having received training in the use of ICT for teaching, above the OECD average of 56% among the 31 member countries that took the survey. Conversely, 64% of lower secondary teachers in Mexico reported ICT skills being included in professional activities undertaken at most 12 months prior to the survey. The figure is relatively close to the OECD 31 countries average of 60% but is 6 points below those of schools in private Mexican schools, a statistically significant difference indicating a possible difference in the profile of professional development activities.
Governance of data and digital technology in education
Access to information and communication technology, including the Internet, is enshrined in the Mexican Constitution, as are the responsibilities of the federal government in fostering digital competences.32 Accordingly, rules and guidelines regarding equal access to digital technologies are echoed in education-specific legislation and guidelines – the education general law and the national digital education strategy both emphasise equal access to digital tools and resources and their use in all classrooms.
Similarly, the Constitution also enshrines the protection of personal data, and specific legislation has been passed to further outline the obligations of private and public controllers and processors of personal data. These two legislations, the federal law on data protection in the possession of particulars and the general law on data protection in the possession of obligated subjects such as the federal or state governments (Ley Federal de Proteción de Datos Personales en Posesión de los Particulares, and the Ley General de Proteción de Datos Personales en Posesión de Sujetos Obligatos, respectively) outline the exercise of individual data rights such as access, rectification, and removal, obligations of the respective controller, and the establishment of an independent Data Commissioner responsible for data protection and transparency.33, 34 This role is played in Mexico by the national institute for transparency, access to information, and protection of personal data (Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Accesso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales – INEE).35
This legislation covers the data rights of students, school staff, and obligations from the government or private maintainer of a given educational institution, and even though no specific protection or role of education data is explicitly outlined for policy purposes, access to education data is afforded by broader transparency and official statistical data regulations.36 37 In addition, interoperability standards between SIGED and other information systems (e.g., those generating national statistical indicators, digital certification systems) are also outlined in existing binding regulation.38
Supporting innovation, research, and development (R‑D) in digital education
The development and fostering of a national digital education technology is a complex endeavour, involving the development (or adaptation) of local tools and resources, the interaction of sometimes distant sectors (such as academia, government, the private sector), and directed policy and funds aimed at incubating innovation and disruption within educational technology (EdTech) startups or R-D in academia or specialised government agencies.
One notable example of said initiatives in Mexico is the programme for technological and educational innovation and investigation (Programa de Innovación Tecnológica y Educativa,). 39 The programme offers earmarked subsidies to teachers or teacher‑led research teams on applied educational research on subjects of particular relevance for the policy agenda, which includes digital education. Indeed, the proposed research themes for 2023 include the use of technology in education for the improvement of teaching and learning, and the development of technology that solve problems, propose better processes, or otherwise improve productivity within the education sector.40
Access to several education datasets is open and made available by the Mexican national statistics office (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia – INEGI) through an open data portal, while data collected through the SIGED information system is available on an interactive portal through analytical dashboards at a website maintained by the Secretariat for Public Education.41 42
There is also ongoing, albeit informal, interaction with the EdTech sector, mostly through industry events in which government stakeholders participate, or via networks created by institutions developing tools and resources. Ongoing dialogue and collaboration with more established actors also exist, with a notable example of a partnership between the Secretariat for Public Education and the Carlos Slim Foundation for the production of education materials and learning platforms, including support for the above-mentioned MexicoX MOOC platform, but also supporting a Spanish version of the widely used Khan Academy learning platform. 43
Looking forward as Mexico continues to develop its digital education agenda, the country looks to increase interoperability, further allowing data portability between education institutions and to further develop its offer of online digital education platforms and resources, while maintaining and expanding its data and information systems.
References
[1] OECD (2022), Mending the Education Divide Getting Strong Teachers to the Schools That Need Them Most, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92b75874-en.
Notes
← 1. As provided by the SEP in https://siged.sep.gob.mx/tableros/, consulted on 4 August 2023.
← 2. As of its Article 3 (Artículo 3o, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, available at https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/CPEUM.pdf)
← 3. Namely Mexico’s 31 states and Mexico City, which will be collectively referred to as states for brevity henceforth.
← 4. Mexico’s government-wide digital strategy, Estrategia Digital Nacional 2021-2024, available at https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5628886&fecha=06/09/2021#gsc.tab=0
← 5. National development plan 2019-2024 (Plan Nacional de Desarroyo 2019 – 2024) available at https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5565599&fecha=12/07/2019#gsc.tab=0
← 6. More information on the CEDN can be found at https://www.gob.mx/cedn
← 7. Article 85 of the General Education Law – Ley General de Educación, Articulo 85, available at https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGE.pdf
← 8. Agenda Digital Educativa 2020-2024, available at https://infosen.senado.gob.mx/sgsp/gaceta/64/2/2020-02-05-1/assets/documentos/Agenda_Digital_Educacion.pdf
← 9. Estratégia Nacional de Educación Inclusiva, available at https://cdnsnte1.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/11073434/ENEI.pdf
← 10. Available at https://www.siged.sep.gob.mx/SIGED/
← 11. More information on MEC is available at https://www.gob.mx/sep/articulos/boletin-no-2-implementa-sep-sistema-de-informacion-y-gestion-educativa-para-disminuir-la-carga-administrativa-a-los-docentes
← 12. Information on the 911 forms for education data collection can be found at https://www.f911.sep.gob.mx/
← 13. Available at https://www.prepaabierta.sep.gob.mx/
← 14. A list of institutions per field of vocational education is maintained by the SEP at https://educacionmediasuperior.sep.gob.mx/es_mx/sems/opciones_de_estudio
← 15. Vocational self-assessment, as well as guidance to parents and students are available at the Decide tus Estudios portal, available at http://www.decidetusestudios.sep.gob.mx/
← 16. Educación Dual en Nivel Medio Superior, available at https://educacionmediasuperior.sep.gob.mx/Educacion_Dual
← 17. Prepa en Linea portal, available at https://prepaenlinea.sep.gob.mx/
← 18. Aprende en Casa: https://aprendeencasa.sep.gob.mx, and Maestros y Maestras en Casa: http://cosdac.sems.gob.mx/web/pa_docentesencasa.php
← 19. Adding to existing educational TV content already produced for Secondary education, for instance through the Telesecondaria, available at https://telesecundaria.sep.gob.mx/
← 20. Ley General de la Educación (LGE), notably in fractions I and VI of its Article 9.
← 21. LGE Articles 76 and 102, respectively.
← 22. LGE, Articles 83, 96, 115 (IX), respectively.
← 23. Notably, the Chapter 11 of the LGE, which is dedicated to regulation on the use of ICT, digital competence and digital learning, and Article 30 on requisites of study plans and curricula.
← 24. MEC, available at https://www.sep.gob.mx/wb/sep1/mec_
← 25. MET, available at https://www.sep.gob.mx/wb/sep1/Modulo_Electronico_de_Titulos
← 26. Through the SEP-funded Programa Atención de Planteles Públicos de Educación Media Superior con Estudiantes con Discapacidad (PAPPEMS), available at https://educacionmediasuperior.sep.gob.mx/es_mx/sems/Programa_Atencion_de_Planteles_Publicos_de_Educacion_Media_Superior_con_Estudiantes_con_Discapacidad_PAPPEMS
← 27. With the latter available at the portal set up by the SEP at https://formacionycapacitaciondigitales.televisioneducativa.gob.mx/
← 28. Recursos para docentes, Aprende em Casa: https://aprendeencasa.sep.gob.mx/recursos-para-docentes/
← 29. Library of support material for upper secondary teachers: https://educacionmediasuperior.sep.gob.mx/bibliotecadigitaldocente
← 30. The Nueva Escuela Mexicana (NEM) is an overall reform project for the Mexican education system, aiming to educate citizens with critical thinking and global competences. The NEM paradigm inspired several programmes mentioned in the text, and the production of resources, made available at https://nuevaescuelamexicana.sep.gob.mx/
← 31. Programa de Formación Docente de Educación Media Superior: http://cosfac.sems.gob.mx/web/pa_enfc.php
← 32. Namely, through Article 6 of the Constitution and fraction 10 of the Decree from 11 June 2013 amending it.
← 33. Federal law on the protection of personal data in possession of particulars: https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFPDPPP.pdf
← 34. General law on the protection of personal data in possession of obligated subjects: https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGPDPPSO.pdf
← 36. The general law on transparency and access to public information (Ley General de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Publica, available at https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGTAIP_200521.pdf) and the law on the national statistical and geographical information system (Ley del Sistema Nacional de Información Estadística y Geografica, available at https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LSNIEG_200521.pdf) respectively.
← 37. Agreements were in place affording education data collected within the SIGED information system the status of information collected in the national interest (Información de Interés Nacional) and thus binding the government to use it to produce indicators. As of this writing, said agreement has been revoked (Diario Oficial de la Federación from 10 April 2023, available at https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5685165&fecha=10/04/2023#gsc.tab=0)
← 38. Acuerdo número 07/03/18 por el que se emiten los Lineamientos generales del Sistema de Información y Gestión Educativa, available at https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5516633&fecha=20/03/2018#gsc.tab=0
← 39. Available at http://cosdac.sems.gob.mx/web/pa_innovacion.php
← 40. The 2023 call for proposals is available at http://cosdac.sems.gob.mx/web/Investigacion/Prog_Innov_Inves2023/CONVOCATORIA_2023.pdf
← 43. Available at https://es.khanacademy.org/