The SEP confirms the school recess for Easter

Start up in Tijuana

President Claudia Sheinbaum led the start of the Rita Cetina Scholarship card delivery in Tijuana, Baja California. The subsidy covers uniforms and school supplies for public elementary students.

The program plans to benefit nearly 9 million students nationwide. The support will be dispersed from August through the Banco del Bienestar.

Support details

Sheinbaum recalled that this scholarship complements other programs of the Fourth Transformation: the scholarship for secondary school, the Benito Juárez for high school and the Gertrudis Bocanegra for higher education. The objective is to reduce the financial impact of registration, footwear and materials at the beginning of the school year.

The Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, pointed out that more than half a million students in Baja California will receive some federal stimulus. He also encouraged parents to enroll their children in the “Live Healthy, Live Happy” program, which offers nutritional counseling, dental care and free glasses.

The national coordinator of Scholarships for Wellbeing, Julio César León Trujillo, explained that 291,036 primary school students will be added to the 292,392 current scholarship recipients in the state in August. Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda and a beneficiary student thanked the extension of this social right, which strengthens the family economy and school permanence.

President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated the Industrial and Services Technological Baccalaureate Center (CBTIS) number 290 in Tijuana, Baja California. The campus is integrated into the National Baccalaureate scheme as part of the federal goal of generating 200,000 new spaces for higher secondary education in the country.

Investment and capacity

During the ribbon cutting, Sheinbaum explained that the 2025-2026 plan includes 500 educational infrastructure actions. It includes enabling afternoon shifts in secondary schools, expanding current high schools and building new centers under the unified “Margarita Maza” model.

Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila thanked the federal administration for bringing study options closer to areas of high demand. Sheinbaum recalled that graduates can continue higher education at the Rosario Castellanos National University campus that operates in the region.

CBTIS 290 represented a total investment of 66.5 million pesos: 49.2 million in civil works and 17.7 million in technological equipment. It has two three-level buildings, 12 classrooms and a specialized laboratory. It is the only institution in the area that teaches Artificial Intelligence. It also has a multifunctional court, civic plaza and green areas. Its operational capacity is 540 students per shift.

Former president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa criticized the designation of Merlin Duck as the official ambassador of Mexico City for the 2026 World Cup. On his social media account, the PAN member pointed out that FIFA and various media make profits from the image of the bird, so its owners deserve fair payment.

“Yes, very good. It came ‘as a gift’, but we shouldn’t leave it like that: they should give it royalties or good financial support, with all the money that FIFA, many media outlets in the world and others with the image of Merlin Duck are making,” he wrote.

Merlin is a two-year-old Peking duck with white plumage and orange legs. He went viral when he was recorded wearing a National Team t-shirt while accompanying his owners – Karla Gómez and her son Christian – to sell water on the streets of the capital. The family considers him another member.

Calderón insisted that the owner, “that little guy who raised him,” should not be left without options after the World Cup. “Get out!” he added, referring to FIFA.

The popularity of duck has crossed borders. International media replicated his story, and President Claudia Sheinbaum invited him to her morning conference, calling him a symbol of Mexican culture. The controversy over the commercial use of his image remains open.