SEP extends Rita Cetina Scholarship to primary school with record budget

The SEP announces the massive expansion of the primary school scholarship program, with a record budget that will change the reality of millions of families.

Publicado 12 septiembre, 2025 el 12 de septiembre a las 20:30 | 5 mins reading |3,409 vistas | por Sofía Ramírez

The SEP turns up the volume on scholarships: now it’s time for primary school

It seems that the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) decided to play in maximum expansion mode. Mario Delgado Carrillo, the head of the agency, has just dropped the bomb: the “Rita Cetina” Universal Basic Education Scholarship, which was already a sensation in secondary schools, will now reach primary schools next year. Yes, you read correctly: from 13.1 million scholarship students, we will jump to 21.6 million mini geniuses with financial support. Basically, it’s like when your favorite show announces a new season, but with more bureaucracy and less drama (or maybe the same, this is the government).

In a move that smacks of impeccable marketing but “we’ll see” style execution, the secretary explained at the National Palace that the registration process will be staggered. Students in the fourth, fifth and sixth year of primary school will be able to register starting next January, while those in the first, second and third years will do so until September 2026. In other words, if you are in sixth grade, get ready to receive your scholarship; If you are in first place, you have to wait like in line for the Bad Bunny concert: with patience and faith.

The budget: numbers that give vertigo (and some hope)

This is where our eyes widen. Delgado Carrillo highlighted that the education budget for 2026 will exceed 1.1 trillion pesos, which represents an increase of 7.1% in nominal terms and 3.4% in real terms compared to this year. But the most juicy thing is the detail of the scholarships: there will be an increase of more than 50 billion pesos specifically for this area, which will reaffirm the program as the social initiative with the largest number of beneficiaries in the country. To put it in perspective, it’s as if each student got a piece of a cake so big that you haven’t even seen it at the fanciest party.

The head of the SEP did not fall short and emphasized that the total budget of all the scholarships that the federal government will deliver next year will reach the astronomical figure of 185 billion pesos. In front of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was probably nodding with a smile of “yes, this was my idea”, Delgado assured that assemblies will be held to inform mothers and fathers about the registration process, just as it was done in secondary school. Translation: prepare for endless virtual meetings and procedures that will test your patience, but with the reward of a subsidy that could alleviate the family finances.

This movement is no small thing. Extending the Rita Cetina Scholarship to primary education not only means more money circulating, but also a recognition of the importance of supporting education from the earliest years. In a country where school dropouts are still a ghost that haunts many communities, this initiative could be a game changer. Of course, I hope the logistics are there and it doesn’t end in a chaos of procedures and unfulfilled promises, because we already know how that movie ends: with memes and collective frustration.

Beyond the numbers and dates, what resonates here is the message that basic education is on the radar of public policies. In a world where the economy is more volatile than the mood of an influencer in detox, every peso counts. And if that weight reaches families through a well-designed educational subsidy, then it is welcome. Of course, we will have to be aware of how this is implemented in real life, because there is a long way from saying to doing, and even more so when it comes to state bureaucracy.

The moral? If you have children in primary school, stay alert to the calls and don’t let go of that school WhatsApp, because it could be your ticket to breathe a little easier financially. And if not, then at least enjoy the spectacle of seeing how the government tries to juggle a budget that is scarier than a math exam without a calculator.

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National

FDA recognizes false positive in Taylor Farms lettuce

Cofepris analysis rules out contamination; FDA admits error in initial sample.

Publicado 6 hours ago el 23 de julio a las 22:34 | 1 min reading

Analysis results

The Ministry of Health reported that tests carried out on lettuce and water samples from the Taylor Farms Mexico plant were negative for the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis —which causes severe diarrhea— and also for fecal coliforms. The analyses, carried out by Cofepris, confirmed that the product complies with the physicochemical parameters established in national standards.

Traceability and false positive

Taylor Farms has a traceability system that allowed United States authorities to identify the origin of the product and track a batch held at customs in Laredo, Texas. That batch never entered US territory.

The sample obtained from that batch returned a false positive, a situation that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized in an update published on July 19. The Ministry of Health emphasized that the product is suitable for human consumption.

National

UIF identifies 55 people in the CJNG financial network

The FIU detected 55 people linked to a CJNG financial network, including 16 front companies.

Publicado 8 hours ago el 23 de julio a las 21:08 | 2 mins reading

The Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of Mexico detected 55 people allegedly linked to a financial network of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The finding was achieved through specific financial indicators, as reported by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).

Release 61 details that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury designated 55 people – 39 individuals and 16 legal entities – related to this structure. The action is part of bilateral cooperation against the finances of organized crime.

Indicators detected

The FIU identified “indicators related to possible operations with resources of illicit origin.” Among them: cash operations, acquisition of high-end vehicles, jewelry and real estate, international transfers, intensive use of credit and service cards, and inconsistencies in income reported to the SAT.

The authorities detected “possible inconsistencies between the income reported to the tax authority and the resources observed in the financial system,” which strengthened the identification of the network.

Front companies and complaints

Of the total, 16 legal entities had illegal activities. According to the FIU, some registered relevant operations, while others were front companies with “limited or no apparent economic activity.”

The UIF filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) for the crime of operations with resources of illicit origin. It also included the subjects designated by OFAC on the List of Blocked Persons (LPB), and added eight additional ones—four individuals and four legal entities—linked to the same financial structure.

International coordination

The Treasury stressed that the coordinated actions with the United States seek to “prevent improper use of the financial system, combat money laundering and weaken the economic structures of organized crime.” The FIU maintains cooperation with national and international authorities, in accordance with the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

National

US Treasury locates Florence as a drug production center

The Treasury Department identified the Zacatecas municipality as the CJNG base for fentanyl and cocaine.

Publicado 8 hours ago el 23 de julio a las 20:44 | 2 mins reading

The United States Department of the Treasury identified Florencia de Benito Juárez, Zacatecas, as one of the key points of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to manufacture fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to the agency, José Octaviano García Martínez is the current head of the plaza in the area, accompanied by Cuauhtémoc Rivera Zepeda and Uriel Hernández Morales. These last two would be in charge of the clandestine laboratories in Zacatecas and Jalisco. All three report to Audias Flores Silva—alias El Jardinero—, designated as successor to the late leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho.

Criminal presence in a small municipality

Florencia de Benito Juárez barely covers 328 square kilometers in the south of the state, in the Sierra Madre Occidental, adjacent to Jalisco. Despite its size, the municipality has been the scene of organized crime operations.

In March 2025, authorities dismantled a camp used by a criminal cell. Months later, in June, they destroyed a greenhouse used for growing marijuana. Both operations sought to neutralize illegal infrastructure.

The municipal president elected in 2024 is Fortino Cortés Ramírez, who will conclude his term in 2027.

Recent violence and federal response

On Saturday, July 18, 2025, 10 bodies were found in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco and Sain Alto. Of the victims, six were construction, mining and entertainment businessmen. Two others were officials of the Fresnillo city council: Fidel Alvarado de la Torre, secretary of Municipal Social Development, and firefighter Jesús Gerardo Muñetón Hernández.

Given these events, the Secretariat of National Defense deployed 100 Special Forces elements on July 22. They joined the 400 Army and National Guard troops who had already been operating since July 19. They carry out ground reconnaissance and deterrent actions in Zacatecas, Guadalupe and Fresnillo.

The conflict in the region is not new. On May 20, 2011, a clash between rival groups—known as The Florence War—left 77 people dead. The journalist Alfredo Valadez Rodríguez documented this episode in the book of the same name, published by Ediciones Proceso in 2021.