Chiapas Partners with INEA to Fight Illiteracy

Chiapas is taking significant steps to reduce its illiteracy rate, aiming to teach 500,000 individuals to read in 2025. This initiative is part of a broader collaboration between the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA) and the State Government of Chiapas. 

The agreement was signed at the “General Assembly of the Peoples of Chiapas for Literacy” held in San Juan Chamula, where education was emphasized as a key pillar of the government’s priorities, as reported by Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education (SEP).

The initiative is also supported by the launch of the "Nueva Escuela Mexicana" (New Mexican School), which includes the translation of free textbooks into 20 indigenous languages, with plans to distribute them across Chiapas to strengthen the educational process. According to Mexico's Cultural Information System (SIC MEXICO), 12 indigenous languages are spoken in Chiapas.

In addition, the federal government aims to benefit over 1 million children and young people in Chiapas through the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez and Benito Juárez programs, which are designed to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent students from pursuing their education. SEP officials say that Indigenous communities now have economic support available when accessing education.

Authorities are also proposing an amendment to Article Two of the Constitution, which would guarantee the recognition of the rights of indigenous people and their autonomy in political, cultural, and social matters. 

In 2020, one in three indigenous children aged three to five years old were not attending school. This was also the case for nearly half of indigenous adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old, as reported by the Network for the Rights of Children in Mexico (REDIM).

“Despite the numerous international instruments that proclaim universal rights to education, indigenous peoples do not fully enjoy these rights, and an education gap between indigenous peoples and the rest of the population remains critical, worldwide,” says the UN.

Armando Contreras, Director General, INEA, says that the institution is committed to addressing educational gaps. INEA aims to reach 500,000 people by the end of the year, first 300,000 individuals by June and an additional 200,000 between July and November.

This educational push will be supported by the “Chiapas Puede” program, which implements the new pedagogical model “Matías de Córdova” and the “AprendeINEA” education model. The latter offers primary and secondary education to young people and adults.