Failing Mexico's Teachers

The OECD reports that Mexico's teachers, along with those of Hungary and Finland, have enjoyed the largest pay increases of any country in the organization over the past decade. An OECD teachers survey also revealed some disturbing characteristics among Mexico's educators: more teachers in Mexico than in any of the 23 nations surveyed said they dedicated at least 30 percent of their class time to administrative tasks and maintaining order. Also, 70 percent of directors reported that the educational quality suffers because teachers regularly arrive late to or miss class entirely. This was by far the highest figure of any of the nations. In Bulgaria, for example, 5 percent of directors had this complaint.