The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation supported the school evaluation model of the Ministry of Public Education, in force since 2023. The scheme limits failure in primary and secondary school and makes grade passing more flexible, even with academic deficiencies.
The failure occurs in a critical context: two out of three students do not master basic mathematical operations, and five out of ten do not reach minimum levels of reading comprehension.
Specialists consulted warn that the measure does not address the post-pandemic lag and may deepen the gaps. Erik Avilés, from Mexicanos Primero in Michoacán, stated:
“It is a declaration of public policy that says that the State prefers that children advance in documents but not in knowledge. Passing without learning is not guaranteeing the right to education; it is guaranteeing the fiction of education.”
Avilés pointed out that eliminating disapproval as a warning signal prevents identifying those who require support. He also criticized that a student can advance with up to four non-accredited subjects, since schools lack the conditions for regularization.
Paulina Amozurrutia, from Educación con Rumbo, said:
“Removing the value of the evaluation and not taking it as an essential point for the change of school year widens the educational gap. These determinations are more political than pedagogical.”
Amozurrutia also questioned the elimination of attendance as a non-accreditation criterion. He warned that absenteeism affects individual and group performance, and that without recovery strategies, educational quality deteriorates.
Experts agree that reducing school dropouts requires comprehensive policies: scholarships, food, transportation and psychosocial support, not just making evaluation more flexible.
