An analysis by the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas (UNACH) exposes serious omissions in educational policy for migrant children.
Researcher Dulce María Reyes Ríos, from the Center for Studies on Municipal Development and Public Policies (CEDES), documents that since 2018, efforts have been made to reform Article 39 of the State Rights Law to exempt refugee children from fees for revalidating their studies, an initiative systematically rejected by the state Treasury Department.
The study, published in the Ibero-American Journal of Research in Education, reveals that charging up to 1,400 pesos for revalidating studies (basic to higher education) for this population violates the Refugee Law (Article 44), which guarantees “the greatest educational facilities.”
The fiscal refusal, argued as a “loss of revenue,” contradicts the transitional provisions of the same law that establish that no additional resources are required for its implementation.
The data is alarming: in 2018, 29,600 people requested asylum in Mexico (56% in Tapachula), and 47% were family groups with minors.
Despite this, the 2019-2024 State Development Plan eliminated all mention of migrant education, abandoning policies from previous administrations such as Pronim (2008) and PRIE (2014).
The current Migrant Education Program (Pemch) is insufficient, operating only six months a year on coffee farms in Tapachula, ignoring the rest of the state.
“It’s an empty policy, without a budget or vision to reduce marginalization,” Reyes Ríos states. The lack of access to formal education pushes children into informal work, trafficking, or crime, aggravated by the prejudice that “they are a bad influence.”
The researcher urges the local Congress to reform the law and coordinate actions with UNHCR, UNICEF, and RET International—already present in Tapachula—to guarantee what the Constitution promises: equal education regardless of nationality.
Source: cuartopoder
