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Unlocking the power: The importance of educational initiatives in Mexico
At ALFA, we believe that education is the key to social mobility, which is why we support ALFA Fundación. Explore its educational model and achievements in the first 10 years of operation.
Young people under the age of 18 in Mexico represent 30.4% of the population, totaling about 38.2 million people. However, mainly due to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, only 29 million1 are registered as elementary, junior high, high school, and teacher education school students.
This low level of schooling points to the need for initiatives that promote education in Mexico, so that young people will have the necessary means and support to complete their studies and be part of the country’s future development.
How can we drive educational development in Mexico?
The average schooling in the country is equivalent to starting the first year of high school, when students are 14-16 years old2. Considering this backdrop, several social and corporate organizations have developed initiatives to foster education, including ALFA Fundación, whose objective is to promote quality education as an effective instrument for social mobility. To achieve this, ALFA called on experts in education and pedagogy to design a model for students from public schools with limited economic resources from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico.
What differentiates the ALFA Fundación model?
The educational model focuses on the student as a unique individual, and on active learning activities. With this approach, students become the lead players in their education and develop the ability to transform themselves through a teaching process involving cognitive, affective, and social areas, supported by:
- Active learning: an educational approach that offers the student a leading role in their learning by involving them in challenging activities such as raising questions, solving problems, sharing results, and learning from others.
- Student-targeted learning: focus on the idea that students have the ability to transform and improve themselves and their environment through a comprehensive educational process.
Young people who are part of the model go through a selection process to measure their capabilities. Once selected, the students are supported through different programs:
- Extracurricular Program: in the morning students attend their schools, then they go to the ALFA Fundación Centers in the afternoon where they take classes to reinforce Math, Science, English, and Spanish.
- ALFA Fundación High School Program: aimed at students who have graduated with levels of high performance from the ALFA Fundación Centers. This dynamic model is affiliated with the Mexican Ministry of Public Education.
- Scholarship Program: provides access to renowned universities in Mexico and abroad for students who have graduated from the ALFA Fundación High School.
By the end of 2023, there were 162 students completed their undergraduate education. The entire system has benefited 5,521 students at all levels.
Both the initiative from ALFA Fundación and those implemented throughout the country by other organizations are necessary for the social mobility of much of Mexico’s youth. These types of tools allow students to finish their studies, trust in their abilities and skills, and thus become leaders of the future, committed to themselves and to their communities.
1 Mexican Ministry of Public Education “More than 29 million students in basic, upper secondary, and normal education start the 2022-2023 school year.” https://www.gob.mx/sep/es/articulos/boletin-sep-no-206-mas-de-29-millones-de-alumnos-de-educacion-basica-media-superior-y-normales-inician-ciclo-escolar-2022-2023-sep?idiom=es
2 Government of Mexico. “National Indicators for the Continuous Improvement of Education in Mexico. Figures for the 2020-2021 school year.” https://www.mejoredu.gob.mx/images/publicaciones/indicadores-nacionales-2022.pdf
