Students attend primaria for 6 years of elementary school, secundaria for 3 years of junior high, and prepatoria for 3 years of high school. Some secondary schools offer academic programs, while others focus on technical skills. Public education is offered only until junior high (secundaria). High school (prepatoria) is optional and is given in private institutions. To enter high school, students must pass an entrance exam, which tests knowledge of social studies, science, math, literature, etc. Students are graded on a scale of 1-10. The academic requirements are set by the school, and students don’t really have the opportunity to choose electives. Students have 2 weeks of vacation for Christmas and spring break and one and a half months of summer vacation. Education is compulsory up to ninth grade, but this rule is not consistently enforced. The quality of education and academic requirements vary greatly depending on whether the student lives in a rural or urban area. As a result, it’s difficult to make generalizations about the educational system in Mexico. For example, in San Juan Capala, which is in the western part of Oaxaca, people speak Triqui. The schools teach students and their families how to read and write in Triqui, as well as Spanish.
Students must find their own transportation to school. They stay with the same group of classmates all day while the teacher moves from class to class. Uniforms are required, even in high school. There is a specified color of uniform for the students in each grade level. There is not a standard time for the school day; it depends on the particular school.
In Mexico the teachers teach more human values and ethics. Teachers do not provide extra help after school, so students have to find tutors on their own. Due to economic difficulties, sometimes the teachers go on strike, and there are no classes for several days or weeks. The main difference in the student-teacher relationship is in our use of language – there are specific forms of address that students must use to show respect. Students can talk about their problems with their teachers. Teachers are responsible in seeing each class through to graduation, so they must know each student really well. They want each student to have the confidence and ability to achieve his or her goals.
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Literacy:
total population: 91%
male: 92.4%
female: 89.6%