Mexican leaders say it’s time to start preparing for a gradual return to in-person classes across the country. Some students could be back in school this June.
The vast majority of Mexican students haven’t set foot in a classroom since last March. But with vaccination campaigns up and running across the country, Secretary of State Olga Sánchez Cordero says now is the time to begin reopening schools.
"Educational activities are outlined as the most urgent to reestablish," she said during a virtual meeting with governors across the country Thursday. “We have an obligation to show our boys and girls that we are close to the light at the end of the tunnel, that there have been many sacrifices made by everyone, that they have stayed home, in difficult conditions, but now we’re seeing the fruits of that effort and the new normal will be returning to classes in their schools.”
She said reopening thousands of school won't be easy, but asked state leaders to prepare for an orderly, incremental return within the next several weeks.
In neighboring Sonora, officials say a pilot program could bring small groups of students back to classrooms in 50 schools next month — and if all goes well a full return to in-person classes in August.
