Mexican State to Invest $250 Million to Reduce School Dropouts

Authorities in the Mexican state of Michoacan are set to invest 5 billion Mexican pesos (approximately US$250 million) to upgrade schools in an effort to reduce dropout rates.

The state will soon begin reconstructing, repairing and equipping nearly 6,000 schools, making them more attractive for students to enroll in.

Michoacan is one of the five states with the highest school dropout rates in Mexico, according to local association Educación con Rumbo. The other states with high dropout rates are Chihuahua, Durango, Morelos and Guanajuato.

There are a variety of reasons why students drop out of school, including lack of resources, learning difficulties and social and economic inequality.

Mexico has the second-highest school dropout rate in Latin America, with a 2.5% decrease in school enrollment.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the dropout crisis. Around 5.2 million students of all levels in the country did not enroll in the 2020-2021 school year due to the pandemic.

In Michoacan, approximately 53,850 students at the basic, high school and higher-education levels abandoned their studies in 2021, according to the state’s Education Department (SEE). The highest dropout rate was identified in high school, with 15.6%, which translates into 23,000 youths.

Even before the pandemic, Mexico already had a high dropout numbers, with 30% of 17-year-olds not attending school. In 2018, nearly 600,000 young Mexicans dropped out of high school.