Pandemic education
“What’s done to children, they will do to society.” This phrase by Karl Menninger reflects the importance of education in our future. It also allows us to reflect on one of the most complex decisions of this pandemic: when and how to start the school calendar? The fate of education is, to a large extent, the direction and face of what our planet will be. And in Mexico, we will inevitably continue to be linked to the power of television, a mean that has been bet on to bring educational content to millions of students.
Mexico’s case is unique in the world. Other nations have opted to cancel face-to-face classes, so that education takes place exclusively at home. Israel, confident of their success in controlling the pandemic in its first stage, opened schools again and, unfortunately, obtained disastrous results. There are also hybrid models, as in some cities in the United States, where classes will happen either at home or at school, as parents decide.
The truth is that the future of the educational process in the Covid era will only be successful if the benefits brought by technology are used and the participation of parents is properly involved.
In Mexico, the technological gap makes it impossible to rely on the Internet to bring educational content to all corners of the country. According to figures from the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), 16 million homes do not have connectivity. The bet of educational authorities is to reach 90% of the territory, so they will also get support from the radio, since its reach will allow to fulfill the objective.
Unfortunately, along with the technological gap, our schools display very complex conditions. A report from the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) gave figures such as 2.2% not having any access to water supply, only 53 % have supply through the public network. Only 66% have sanitary services and electricity. Only 22% of schools have access to Internet. This reality greatly complicates the educational process and shows us where resources should be urgently applied.
And, although teacher leaders have expressed their rejection of the idea of taking school to the television, arguing, rightly, that parents are not teachers and that home is not the classroom, the current world condition forces us to try new schemes. Parents will continue to play a major role in the education of our children, it is something we were not prepared for, but in which I am sure we will put our best foot forward.
Muvop Financiera is a project with financial and educational impact, which I recently started with the strong intention and conviction of bringing economic products and knowledge to help men and women in their economy. The pandemic led the team to create the first Muvop online course, a basic course on financial education (in beta version), where you will learn the importance of saving, spending and investing, which is necessary right now.
Courses content is offered online, free of charge. I am sure that it could easily be included in the plans of the educational authorities, through cadena 4; it would only need to be adapted for the television stations to reach thousands of homes. It’s just a matter of adding up and generating impacts in order to build a better country. This is a time for union and collaboration
This moment presents us with obstacles and difficulties, times are difficult and complicated, but there is room to land new ideas and projects. It is true that in crisis, greater creativity moments occur.
One idea that comes to my mind is that it would be worthwhile to take advantage of the platform of bringing education through television, to include other contents that promotes skills and knowledge which empower Mexican families. Courses on the use of resources, environmental care, financial education. Learning at home and in family could be a turning point, and the possibility of disseminating knowledge to all members of the household should be explored. For the good of our country, everyone should join in, let’s all learn.
