Mexico

10 Facts About the History of Education in Mexico

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The history of education around the world is very different. Some countries had their first educational systems even a thousand years ago. Others are still struggling to create a good structure for their systems and combat illiteracy. Wise people all over the world realized that one of the strengths of their countries is knowledge and the more educated the population is the stronger they grow. Mexico is a very special case when you study their education and history. Being a country often caught in wars and revolutions the educational system was fairly influenced by the political status of the country. Nowadays Mexico is fighting illiteracy of the population on one side and on the other grows elites in their performant universities. Being able to choose from state and private universities, Mexicans all over the country fight for their growth. To put all of this into perspective, here are 10 facts about education in Mexico.

1.The education before the Spanish conquest

Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec god of air, wind, and learning. So even before their contact with the European civilization, Aztecs had schools where they trained priests and warriors. The priests had a high status in the society and the warriors were the strongest force for the expansion of the empire.

Source:mexicolore.co.uk

2.The Catholic church’s involvement

One of the most amazing Mexican education facts is the speed with which the colonists used the “civilization” as one of their reasons to conquer the “New Spain”. The involvement of the church was crucial, so it kept an authority position in the education system.

3. Very few girls attended education at establishments run by nuns and even fewer girls from wealthy families received tutoring with a private instructor. 

4. The reform

During the rule of Benito Juarez, a reform was made.  The Liberal views allowed a separation between the church and the state and in 1868 the system of secondary school was created.

Source:imagine-mexico.com

5. Schooling in the 1900s

After the end of the Mexican Revolution that ended in 1920 events took place that gave us some of the most interesting Mexico school facts of the present. The state got more involved in the creation and administration of the public school system. Indigenous children and non-indigenous children started going to the same schools and studying in the same language.

Source:studycountry.com

6. The Royal Pontifical University of Mexico

Harvard College is the oldest American institution of higher education and was founded in 1636. The Royal Pontifical University of Mexico was founded in 1551, being the first university in North America! At that time, they educated people in the secrets of religion, law, and medicine.

7. The present-day structure of education

In Mexico, you have primary school from 1st to 6th year followed by junior high from 7th to 10th and two more years after that for high-school. After high-school, Mexican teens can choose to go to University following a 4-year bachelor’s degree, a 2-year master’s program, and a 3-year doctorate. Modern-day private universities in Mexico follow international standards, being close to the Bologna system in Europe. Students just like you go to college there and attend classes and lectures. The high level of education there allows some of them to go to international congresses, to meditate their colleagues and even use dissertationhelp.org.uk to offer writing services for others.

8. Present-day quality of schooling

The struggle nowadays to keep the youth in schools is real in Mexico. Almost all Mexican children attend primary school but not even half graduate high-school!

9. The best university in Mexico is considered to be Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

10. The cost of a university year is on average around 5000$.

CONCLUSION:

Studying the history of schooling in Mexico is amazing. The Mexican school facts you can find are very interesting. Seeing how the political and religious climate influenced the development of an educational system through centuries makes you realize a lot. The development of a country is strictly related to the level of knowledge and culture people have and vice-versa. For centuries the Catholic Church controlled the school system in Mexico and gave the few people getting an education, a religious one. After the coming of secularization, the state got more involved and started to actively work for the education of the people. Nowadays the Mexican school system is a very familiar one. You go to primary, junior-high and high-school. After that, you can attend the courses of various universities and get a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degree. The cost of a year of university is much lower than in the US and the level of academic performance is a good one in the private colleges.

 

Trump To Shut Down Government If He Doesn’t Get Support For Mexico Border Wall

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One of the reasons why Trump won the elections was his promise to tighten the US immigration and border controls system. So far, he was stopped several times by Democrats when it comes to border wall with Mexico and he is now again threatening to shut down the US government if he doesn’t get what he wants.

Here is what he wrote in a tweet: “I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!”

Trump decided to give the ultimatum to the government as the funding needs to be agreed by September 30 or they will be forced to shut down. On top of that, have in mind that mid-term elections are just around the corner in November. Comments made by POTUS are not in line with what we could hear from his party leaders from Seante and the White House as they insist that this needs to wait after mid-terms that will be quite hard.

Source:express.co.uk

This is not the first time we could hear Trump threatening to shutdown the government in attempts to push his priorities. It has been estimated by the Department of Homeland Security that the cost of the border wall would be about $21 billion, but Democrats suggest that this figure would be much higher at about $70 billion. To make things even worse for Trump, he suggested that Mexico will pay for the wall, and we simply don’t see it happen.

Other things that POTUS want’s to be changed regarding immigration policy is the ending of the visa lottery program that randonly gives 50,000 green cards. Also, people that have relatives in the US are priorities on the visa lists, which is another thing that he wants to stop. Immigration bill that Republicans brought a month ago didn’t go through Congress.

With only a thin majority that the Republicans have in the Senate it is needed for 10 Democrats to support the latest bill in which $5 billion would be given for the wall during the next year.

According to analysts, this move might be a well tought plan by Trump to mobile his voters before mid-term. On the other hand, Democrats believe that if shutdown happens it will only help them to get more seats.

Both Ron Johnson, the Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security committee and Steve Stivers, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee believe that this wouldn’t be a good move for their party. Stivers said: “I think we’re going to make sure we keep the government open, but we’re going to get better policies on immigration.”

Source:politico.com

Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Ben Ray Lujan stated: “Democrats wants to work together in a bipartisan way when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform.”

Mexico Refuses to Pay for the Wall

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Donald Trump has the idea of building a wall between the US and Mexican border, and he wants Mexico to pay for it. However, their southern neighbor will “never” pay for the wall which separates the two countries, according to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Nieto tweeted to Donald Trump, and he said that nobody wants to pay for the wall. Here is the Tweet: “President @realDonaldTrump: NO. Mexico will NEVER pay for a wall. Not now, not ever.

Sincerely, Mexico (all of us).”

Even though Mexico strongly opposes such ideas, which is more than reasonable and understandable, Trump is confident that they will do it eventually. POTUS addressed the crowd at a rally yesterday saying that the neighbors would foot the bill for a border wall, which according to Trump should reduce illegal immigration drastically.

Another problem that might be solved is the traffic of illegal substances that according to the US government representatives, are mostly coming through this country. While this approach might not completely stop these activities, it would certainly make it a lot harder for smugglers to transport their goods.

Source:politico.com

This was not the first time Nieto was grossed by such idea. The problem between the two leaders is recurring, and Nieto delayed his visit to White House as he was arguing about the wall with Washington officials. Trump, who promised the wall and who said that Mexicans would pay for it, still has to find a way to take the money from the southern neighbors. Will he succeed in his intentions? Something tells me that this quarrel will go on for as long Trump is at the seat of power. Who knows what might be his next move.

Source: cnbc.com

Tariffs on EU, Canada, and Mexico Delayed For 30 Days by The White House

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It would seem that the Trump administration bite off more than it can chew and that simultaneous trade war with two of the country’s biggest trade partners is a bit too much. Who knew the international trade is so complicated?

The tariffs on steel and aluminum brought by the White House were to go into effect on Tuesday. A 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum would have an adverse effect on all companies exporting those products to the United States. Many nations who would have been affected by these tariffs have been frantically trying to secure an exemption, but so far only Argentine, Brazil, and Australia have managed to obtain them.

Source:wvlt.tv

The tariffs, which are coming in effect just as the United States are preparing for the upcoming summit with North Korea, may have an adverse effect on the relationship Washington has with its key allies in Europe, which are bound to be one of the biggest losers if the tariffs are put to effect. That is why this 30-day reprieve is a much-needed respite for both sides, EU to figure out the response and US to enforce the same tariffs on China. America is also in the middle of negotiations with Canada and Mexico on the new NAFTA deal, which could be jeopardized by the new taxes.

Source:10tv.com

The main reason behind the tariffs is that many companies are buying steel abroad and exporting it to the US, leading to a market flooded with cheap Chinese steel American manufacturers can’t compete with.

“In all of these negotiations, the administration is focused on quotas that will restrain imports, prevent transshipment and protect the national security,” the White House said.

That is why Trump’s administration has been offering exemptions to the countries willing to accept quotas on both steel and aluminum. EU, on the other hand, has stated that it refuses to negotiate under threat and that in case US tariffs go into effect after the 30-days reprieve period, the block will institute a set of tariffs of their own on American goods, ranging from motorcycles to blue jeans. Brussels will also join China in their complaint at the World Trade Organization, saying that tariffs are a violation of the international trade law.

“The U.S. decision prolongs market uncertainty, which is already affecting business decisions,” the European Union said after the White House issued a reprieve. “The E.U. should be fully and permanently exempted from these measures, as they cannot be justified on the grounds of national security.”

So far, only Washington’s major ally left out from exemptions is Japan. President Trump and his advisors have been hopeful of coercing Tokyo into direct trade negotiations, but Japan’s Prime minister has been quite adamant on that issue and have insisted that the only trade talks he is interested in are the ones about the United States joining TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), a deal Mr. Trump abandoned as soon as he entered the White House.

All these talks about tariffs and sanctions have left the markets in the state of uncertainty, which is already causing damage. Today’s news of reprieve has managed to stabilize things a bit, but if the reprieve remains temporarily, it won’t matter much once it expires.

The tariffs have even created uncertainty in America, as customers are unsure where to buy metal and at what price. As the traditional exporters are apparently going out of business, it will be on American steel manufacturers to pick up the slack, something that can hardly be done without a price increase. According to Todd Leebow, the president and chief executive of Majestic Steel USA, “From an industry perspective, the challenge that we have is it creates uncertainty.”

Some praise the measures, saying that they are working, like Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, who noted that “There’s some evidence that the approach is working.” The long-term consequences, both political and economic, don’t seem to bother Mr. Paul.

Source:money.cnn.com

In the meantime, the price of steel in Europe is hitting rock bottom, as companies from Russia, India, and China are dumping their stock on the European market. This can easily spell disaster for the European steel industry, which has just exited a 5-year slump and was showing signs of recovery.

“They are worried that another wave of imports could throw the industry back into crisis mode,” Martin Theuringer, the managing director of the German Steel Federation, said.

Source: nytimes.com

Can Mexico and Canada Persuade Trump to sign NAFTA?

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Donald Trump had a memorable presidential campaign. It was something we have never seen, and he attacked and trounced his political opponents – every last one of them. Even “Crooked Hillary” didn’t manage to beat Trump despite being the front-runner. But one of the things Trump complained about in the campaign were trade deals and two of them in particular – Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). About the latter, he said that it was “the worst trade deal ever signed.”

When he became president, Mr. Trump immediately removed America from TPP, but it appears that he realized it was a bad move. He expressed his remorse for withdrawing, and he wants to get back into the club. On the other hand, in prolonged talks with Canada, the possibility that America comes to the agreement about the NAFTA deal has been born. But will Trump agree to put his name on “the worst trade deal ever signed?”

Source:nationalhogfarmer.com

According to CNBC, the representatives of the United States, Canada and Mexico are meeting on April 20th for the talks which will last for two weeks, as Robert Lighthizer, the US Trade Representative said. Trump managed to irritate both Canada and Mexico with his crazy demands and “America First” policy, but what’s good for him is that America’s neighbors are exempted from the new steel while aluminum tariffs are imposed as well.

This entire process is questionable, and there is still a long way to go for the US to sign the NAFTA. Flavio Volpe, who represents Canadian auto parts makers told Bloomberg that “on balance, we may be close enough . . . to get a deal done.” However, there are many issues which remained unresolved, and some of them include cars and agriculture, to name a few.

According to the Bank of Canada, the NAFTA remains in its initial form, but they warned that “a wide range of outcomes are still possible for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.” Last year when this deal was discussed both Mexico and Canada got a sense that America was the only one that would come out as the winner of the deal and they thought so for a reason. For the NAFTA deal to work, there must be a win-win-win situation. Otherwise, one of the countries will withdraw from the talks. Meanwhile, Lighthizer will have difficulties in Congress due to differences in opinions. Free-trade advocates, such as Kevin Brady, and skeptics such as Bill Pascrell will have to see the benefits of this deal, and it will be difficult for America’s Trade Representative to bridge a gap so wide.

Source:huffingtonpost.ca

In all this, Trump remains the biggest problem. Although he bragged that he could strike much better deals, he keeps struggling with the trade agreements. Furthermore, let’s not forget that he boasted about lying to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As if that isn’t enough already, he is constantly posting on Twitter statements which are false, and he cannot differentiate between a trade deficit and a surplus. Not only is he tweeting inaccurate things about the relationship with Canada, but he also does so with the relationship between the US and China or the US and Mexico. Trump will have to realize that deals such as NAFTA are important for this country, but with him involved in the process, the American neighbors will have to pray that he has one of the “good days.”

The whole “America First” philosophy can cost this country a great deal in the future. Trade agreements are slowly collapsing, and we will see the true value of such deals once they are gone.

Source: vanityfair.com