The SEP and its brilliant scholarship plan: because what is cheap is expensive, and what is criminal, more so
In a twist that no one saw coming (or maybe all of us, but we feigned insanity), the Secretary of Public Education has decided that, after all, education is a right. Who would have thought? The preliminary project of a program of full scholarships and, attention, lifelong is being prepared, for the 18 direct victims of sexual abuse committed by their own public servants. Because what better way to make amends for an atrocity than with a monthly check and a diploma. Justice, in its infinite wisdom, has ruled that the State must guarantee a comprehensive reparation of the damage, which apparently translates into paying for university for those who, as children, should have been worried about colors and not about traumas.
This magnanimous gesture, available for public scrutiny on the website of the National Regulatory Improvement Commission, is nothing more than compliance with court orders. The federal sentences were clear: the State was spectacularly wrong by allowing this to happen in the Marcelino de Champagnat kindergarten, a school that, ironically, was managed by the Federal Educational Authority itself. Come on, the fox guarding the chicken coop, but with crayons. Scholarships are a “measure of satisfaction.” Because, of course, what can satisfy the soul of an abused child more than knowing that his abuser was exchanged for an allowance?
The details that will make you raise an eyebrow (or both)
The resolutions are very specific: this restitution scholarship cannot be confused with those social programs that they distribute as if they were candy. No no. This is special, it is different, it is… for violations of human rights. The financial support will come from the SEP’s own resources, which makes us wonder: in what budget item is “reparation for institutional pedophilia” noted? Will there be a specific fund for these eventualities, or do they just subtract it from the money for the bathrooms?
The estimation of amounts is a jewel of bureaucracy. It will be calculated based on the general minimum wage of Mexico City, with percentages ranging from 80% for preschool, primary and secondary school, to 100% for high school, and a spectacular 200% for higher education. Because it is well known that trauma is cheaper to endure in primary school than in college. One of the beneficiaries, who is in special education, will receive a 10% increase as a “reasonable adjustment.” How thoughtful, they almost forget that their needs are, pardon the redundancy, special.
Implementation: when bureaucracy puts on its shirt (or at least tries to)
To distribute this manna, the SEP has mobilized its entire administrative roster: the Undersecretariats of Basic, Higher Secondary and Higher Education, the Administration and Finance Unit and the National Coordination of Scholarships for Well-being. An army of officials to manage 18 scholarships. Efficiency at its finest. The only requirement to receive support is that victims be enrolled in a public institution and are in school. Come on, don’t let them think of deserting, because repairing the damage has clauses.
The events that gave rise to this regulatory circus occurred in 2018, when parents from the Marcelino de Champagnat kindergarten, in the Gustavo A. Madero mayor’s office, reported the abuses. EL UNIVERSAL documented that in the first protests it was reported that at least 37 minors had been victims. One of the aggressors, with an enviable macabre creativity, threatened the children aged 3 to 5 that “the bogeyman is going to kill your parents” to silence them. Finally, in 2025, the SEP offered a public apology, acknowledging “omissions.” Such a small word for such a monumental failure.
Subsequent court rulings concluded the obvious: the state failed to ensure a safe environment. So, in addition to the scholarships, they ordered comprehensive reparation measures to ensure that the victims can continue and complete their studies. Because, apparently, the lesson the State wants them to learn is that, even if they rape you, at least you can be licensed.
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