Are 75 thousand books enough to change a habit?
The Ministry of Public Education and the Economic Culture Fund announced with great fanfare the strategy “So that young people read! 25 by 25.” Sounds good, right? They promise to distribute 75 thousand copies in national high schools and another 10 thousand in normal schools in CDMX. All free.
Mario Delgado, head of the SEP, began the distribution in Huitzilac, Morelos. Each CBTA 124 student received two books. The math is simple: 450 students, one thousand copies. A nice photo to start.
The official speech vs. reality in the classrooms
Tania Rodríguez Mora, undersecretary of Higher Education, says that this “strengthens the humanistic character” of the high school. Marilina Barona del Valle, from the FCE, presented brief reviews to “awaken interest.” Historical, narrative and poetic texts. All very praiseworthy.
But here’s my professional skepticism: Has anyone asked students if they want those specific degrees? Or do we continue with the old model of “here’s the good stuff, take it”?
Pável Granados, director of Reading Strategy, highlighted including Mexican authors such as Guadalupe Dueñas. Good for the local fee. Mario Hernández, from Agricultural Technological Education, spoke of “closing gaps.” Francisco Luciano Concheiro Bórquez expressed his “joy” at the Benemérita National School of Teachers.
“That this collection reaches the normal school community is wonderful, since it is the future teachers who, through their initial training, will be able to promote their collective reading in reading clubs,” said Concheiro Bórquez.
The jewel in the crown came with Paco Ignacio Taibo II, director of the FCE. When delivering 2 thousand books to the BENM, he dropped a pearl:
“This strategy and the free distribution of books is a struggle of civilization against barbarism. Reading is democracy, reading is freedom and reading is learning.”
Powerful phrase. Elevated rhetoric. But I wonder: wouldn’t the real “barbarism” be an educational system that for decades failed to create enthusiastic readers?
They say that the New Mexican School “needs a reading community.” It needs equity, comprehensiveness, multiculturalism. Beautiful words on paper. The uncomfortable question no one asks: what happened to all the previous strategies? Where are your measurable results?
Handing out books is easy. Creating passionate readers…that’s another story. And that battle is not won only with speeches in auditoriums.




