| Summary: | Progress in Mexican education has been significant in recent decades. Illiteracy has decreased and the national average of years of formal education has increased, although there are significant differences between states. This progress is evident in the increasing number of students who finish Junior High and College (Presidencia de la Republica, 2007). However, even though access to college education has increased, the rate of graduation is lower than that for elementary education and even lower for graduate studies (Master's or Doctoral degrees) (Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior [ANUIES], 2005).
Some officials from the Ministry of Education in Mexico have expressed concern that the national educational system focuses on information, rather than on formation. It is said that the system is based more on rote-learning than on the development of cognitive and critical thinking skills that will enable students and graduates to be self-learners and promoters of their own progress throughout their lives. The focus on information is also noted in both elementary and higher education (Escoffie, 2004).
Nursing education in Mexico clearly reflects educational trends throughout the country. Most nurses are trained through three-year programs which require only nine years of basic education as a prerequisite. At present, there are approximately 30 university nursing programs offering a bachelor's degree, no more than 10 offering a Master's Degree, two or three
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