Mexico Expands Indigenous Literacy Programs Through INEA

Nearly 8,000 people are now enrolled in bilingual initiatives led by the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA), reports Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education (SEP). 

Mario Delgado, Minister of Education, says that from January to August 2025, 2,811 people over the age of 15 from indigenous communities completed a course through INEA’s programs in native languages. Of these, 2,508 learned to read and write in their mother tongue and received official literacy certificates, 176 completed primary school, and 127 finished secondary school.

The institute’s Literacy Strategy for Shared Well-being seeks to reach all indigenous people over 15 years old who have not yet completed their basic education, says Armando Contreras, Director General, INEA. The initiative operates under the principle of expanding opportunities for historically underserved populations.

According to INEA’s Directorate of Prospective, Accreditation, and Evaluation, of the 7,932 people enrolled in indigenous education programs, 4,910 are women and 3,022 are men. Most participants are learning to read and write in their native languages through INEA’s Bilingual Indigenous Literacy Model, which covers 66 of the 68 recognized languages in Mexico and 110 linguistic variants. The program also introduces Spanish as a second language.

At present, 62 students from indigenous communities are pursuing primary education and 142 are enrolled in secondary school. INEA operates educational modules across 19 states, including Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, and Yucatan, to bring these services closer to local populations.

The educational materials and services are offered in a wide range of native languages, including náhuatl, otomí, maya, zapoteco, mixteco, and rarámuri, among others, reinforcing the government’s effort to preserve linguistic diversity while expanding access to basic education.

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, reports 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 United Nations.

INEA aims to reach 500,000 people by the end of 2025. The institute has served over 31 million people during its 43 years of operation. The agency’s approach is aligned with the principles of the New Mexican School and Mexican humanism, which prioritize learner-centered education and the promotion of civic values.