Mexico Overtakes United States In Providing Early Childhood Education

Mexico ranks third in the list of countries with the largest number of young people who don't study or work, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development finds out. The country has committed to enroll almost 100 percent of its children who are of age 4 in preschool, putting it on top in spite of being notably poorer than the United States.

Early school readiness and childhood education are important in order to prepare the kids to do well in a highly competitive international economy. This is why every country puts more money and effort on its education program.

Mexico, in spite of its economic stature, spends only 3.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product or GDP on education. This resulted to falling standards and very traditional educational system. But this is better compared to the United States, which only spends 3.6 percent of its GDP on schools.

Eight in 100 Mexican kids, who were enrolled in elementary schools, don't turn up to classes while barely 50 middle school students finished school, Aljazeera reported. In addition, only 20 high school students graduate and only two has finished their education. Parents concluded this could be due to traditional schooling that makes students bored and unhappy.

In response, a law has been passed that mandate preschool education for all children ages between 3 and 5 in Mexico. The Central American nation is on its way to improve the quality of Early Childhood Care and Education or ECCE.

Several studies in the past have shown evidence that early childhood education program provides extensive benefits that can cause significant impacts on the lives of children. This fact is backed up by a study in Journalist's Resource, which found that enrolling preschool had long-lasting benefits on career development, health outcomes and academic performance. This brings hope to Mexican kids, who are now playing an important part in the vital transition in the field of education.