About Oaxaca: Education System

The Mexican education system is similar to that of the US. There is educación  preescolar, which is optional for children 3-5. This is followed by escuela primaria, which is for kids 6-11 and considered mandatory. The next education level is secundaria for ages 12-14 and is also mandatory. These three stages of education are considered educación básica and are free. They focus on teaching general education, from cognitive skills of the youngest levels to scientific and social disciplines to private vocational programs of the older students. After they complete these years, the students receive a transcript to which they can apply to higher education programs. This portion of their education is called educacion media superior or preparatoria and can focus on either general or technical education and is for students 15-17. Students then can go into higher education, educacion superior where they can get their degrees.
The grading system is also similar but differs in a different scale use. It ranges from a scale of 1-10 with 9-10 being the best (Muy bien- MB) followed by 8 (Bien- B), then 6-7 (Suficiente- S), and then finally 0-5 as the worst equaling a fail (Reprobado- R).
In Oaxaca, poverty limits the education of students. 45% do not have a high school diploma and 22% are illiterate. Furthermore, in rural areas, there is a lack of availability of education beyond middle school grades causing an increase in school dropouts after age 11. Because Oaxaca has such a high indigenous population, that combined with poverty result in the indigenous population having a lack of education. Only 5% of Oaxaca's indigenous population reaches a middle or higher education, while the rest of Mexico on average has 26% of the indigenous population reach middle or higher education. Similarly, almost 90% of indigenous teachers do not have an adequate academic background.

A problem in the education system that affects Oaxaca, is the corporate influence of the system, through the implementation of standardized tests. This has a negative impact on the school system, because if students don't do well on the test, the teachers are blamed and removed. They are then forced to go to private school and pay to take courses and tests. If they don't do well on the tests then they are fired. This is problematic, because it requires students to be good at taking tests as well as encourages teachers to teach to the test, which has the possibility to inhibit the learning of other students. There is also a reward system implemented, where teachers receive points based on their test scores and then qualify for raises based on the number of points they have. This is a poor system, because teachers who score well on the test are not necessarily the best teachers, and it divides the teachers against each other.


Sources:
http://www.classbase.com/countries/Mexico/Education-System
https://www.justlanded.com/english/Mexico/Mexico-Guide/Education/Introduction
http://oaxaca.icf-xchange.org/aboutoaxaca
http://www.cft.org/key-issues/quality-education/end-high-stakes/539-oaxacan-teachers-challenge-the-test.html