Areas overlooked by the current educational system

Both public and private secundarias and preparatorias in the state have developed curricula that are attempting to respond to the demands of the changing economy in Baja California Sur.  Some preparatorias offer courses geared toward the tourism sector (i.e. scuba diving technician) and the manufacturing sector (computer or industrial engineering). However, according to reports by the former SEPE official, Prof. Víctor Manuel Castro, the state’s middle school curriculum has not been updated in fifty years.[1]

In fact, all levels of education need to be re-oriented to meet the current societal needs.  Skills that respond to economic trends are not being prioritized in Baja California Sur; migrants from Mexico City and elsewhere are competing favorably for jobs in the state, including for small and medium-sized business opportunities.[2]  Furthermore, local history and traditions are poorly represented or absent altogether in school curricula at all levels.

Higher education offers degrees in Administration and Social Sciences, including education, law, business, political science, communications, marketing, literature, tourism development, hotel management, accounting , language, history, and philosophy.  Other degrees are related to science and research, natural resource use, and engineering, which are aimed at the specific needs of the state’s economic development.

Environmental education has not been a priority for primary schools and secundarias, despite the fact that Baja California Sur is known throughout the world as a unique collection of ecosystems that are still relatively intact.  This lack of understanding is manifest in such actions by local children as throwing trash on the street, in town, and on the beach, which works to further harm the environment.  Although SEP has incorporated environmental education into the formal system, the curriculum does not contain sufficient information on this topic.  Hopefully, this will be updated as the recently-published SEMARNAT/Centro de Educación y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Sustentable (Center for Sustainable Development Education and Training-CECADESU) environmental education plan for Baja California Sur is implemented.[3]