Publishers Criticize Mexico's Possible Departure From PISA Testing

Publishers in Mexico’s beleaguered educational system are concerned that the government may exit the international PISA testing program.

Schoolchildren on a street in Playa del Carmen, a city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Arkadij Schell

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

‘Vital To Ensure a Prosperous and Competitive Future’

Today’s headline in apartadomex.com’s national section says it well: Mexico Leaves PISA! Are We Doing That Badly in Education?

As Norma Tepox’s article quickly makes clear, a pullout from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development‘s (OECD) PISA testing system for students has not been made as yet by the government. But, as the report points out, “Andreas Schleicher, director of Education and Skills at the OECD, made it clear in a letter addressed to Silvia Valle Tépatl, president of the National Commission for the Continuous Improvement of Education (Mejoredu), that Mexico’s participation in PISA 2025 is in imminent danger.

“The lack of progress in preparations for the field test given as a justification.”

Our Publishing Perspectives readers know that the Mexican publishers’ association, the Cámara Nacional de la Industria Editorial Mexicana (CANIEM) has been working to bring to light the efforts of the federal government not only to scuttle the private publication of textbooks and other educational content but also to push aside the long-used Guidelines To Authorize the Use of Didactic Packages for the for the Subject of English as a Foreign Language in Public Schools of Basic Education of the National Education System.

CANIEM, the publishers association in Mexico, which is led by IPA past president Hugo Setzer—now working to preparing to stage the 34th International Publishers Congress (December 3 to 6) with the International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) in Guadalajara—has issued a statement to the news media on this latest development in the deepening battle between the educational and publishing communities and Mexico’s national government. For the publishers, the moves of Mexico City to nationalize the country’s educational texts and curricula amount to a steady encroachment by the Andrés Manuel López Obrador administration to derail the nation’s educational standards and stunt the future of the country’s next generations.

In their statement, the publishers—already engaged in court action against the government—tell the news media:

“The National Chamber of the Mexican Publishing Industry (CANIEM), a representative body of more than 200 publishing houses in the country and a social actor involved in education, expresses its deep concern regarding the recent discussions on the possible cancellation of the PISA test in Mexico. In a context in which our country faces significant challenges in education, we consider that the elimination of this international instrument could represent a setback in our efforts to improve the quality of education.

“The PISA test, developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is fundamental to objectively and comparatively evaluate student performance in key areas such as reading, mathematics and science. The results of this evaluation are crucial for the diagnosis of our educational system and for the planning of public policies that aspire to overcome the educational backwardness that still prevails.

“CANIEM urges the corresponding authorities to reconsider any decision that may compromise the implementation of the PISA test in our country.

“Without adequate tools to evaluate our current situation, it will be impossible to establish and implement educational policies that truly address the needs of our student population and that foster the intellectual and professional development of future generations.

“We invite other actors involved in the education sector to join this call for the continuity and strengthening of international educational assessments, which are vital to ensure a prosperous and competitive future for Mexico in the global arena.

“Beyond ideologies, our commitment is for the education and development of our children.”

At the Geneva-based International Publishers Association (IPA), Brian Gilsenan is chair of the Educational Publishers Forum. In a comment released today (May 6) on the Mexican association’s mounting concerns, he condemns the López Obrador government, saying, “It’s shocking to see the Mexican government even considering walking away from the PISA evaluations.

“These internationally recognized systems that can reach across cultural and methodological differences to measure impact are extremely valuable to educational publishers, governments, and teachers.

“It’s only by exchanging experiences and best practice that we can create the brightest opportunity for our younger generations.

“We urge the Mexican government to reconsider.”

More on the Mexican educational publishing crisis issue is here; more on the Mexican book publishing market is here; more on CANIEM, the Mexican publishers association, is here; and more on educational publishing is here.

Publishing Perspectives is the International Publishers Association’s world media partner.

About the Author

Porter Anderson

Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.