Mexico.- In Mexico, intercultural universities have begun important activities of teaching, research, cultural dissemination, and development projects in order to derive the benefit from higher education and scientific research. These activities are directed at indigenous people and at different communities that focus on recognizing the value of their own identity.

Intercultural universities in Mexico current serve nearly 4.500 students, most of who are from indigenous communities. These universities are part of a strategic educational project that began in 2002 and that is aimed at using culturally pertinent service modalities, for young indigenous people as well as young people from diverse social sectors interested in entering higher education. The project is committed to fostering the development of these peoples, as well as those in rural areas that receive few services.


Indigenous women

In these new institutions, the proportion of women is 10% higher than that of men. These universities represent an important opportunity for the incorporation of this significant number of indigenous women who seek opportunities for development that they would not have been able to achieve if these institutions did not exist in places close to their communities.

This modality of higher education seeks to increase access opportunities to higher education for groups that have had few possibilities in the past and who have not been able to successfully finish their professional studies.

Within this framework, these new institutions face the challenge of seeing to it that the students have access to quality training with cultural pertinence. Their educational model represents a change from the educational offerings of existing institutions of higher education in order to adapt them to the conditions and requirements of the service needs pertinent to indigenous populations.

A sign of progress of this project is that fact that it has been successful in assuring the presence and participation of intercultural universities in different spheres of action that involve the economic activities of rural and indigenous communities, strengthening their developmental possibilities through the preservation of the languages and cultural traits of the peoples of the region.

The organization of academic, civic, and artistic events, and the participation of students in subjects of particular interest for a better understanding, communication, and development of the communities have been major focuses of attention by intercultural universities, with the cooperation of community, academic, and governmental authorities.

In the intercultural universities located in The Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Puebla, Veracruz, Michoacán, Guerrero, Sinaloa, and Quintana Roo, there are young people from more than 40 indigenous communities from Mexico, and some from Latin America. The Mexican languages used in these universities for their preservation and development are:

•  Mazahua,
•  Otomí,
•  Tlahuica,
•  Matlatzinca,
•  Mixteco,
•  Nauatl,
•  Tseltal,
•  Tsotsil,
•  Chol,
•  Zoque,
•  Tojolabal,
•  Zapoteco,
•  Mame,
•  Akateco,
•  Chol,
•  Yokotan,
•  Nauatl,
•  Otomí,
•  Huasteco,
•  Tepehua,
•  Totonaca,
•  Zapoteco,
•  Zoque,
•  Popoloca,
•  Totonacos,
•  Nauatl,
•  Popolocas,
•  Yolem´me
•  Purépecha,
•  Me´phaa, (Tlapaneco),
•  Náhuatl (Guerrero),
•  Amuzgo (Tu´unsavi),
•  Spanish.

This new institution now joins with the national education system of Mexico, and will offer new prospects for professional and scientific development that will bring together highly valuable knowledge in order to foster the sustainable development of indigenous peoples and their surroundings.

More information: www.redui.org.mx
María de Lourdes Casillas Muñoz, Director of Upper Middle and Higher Education of the General Office of Intercultural and Bilingual Education, SEF, Mexico; responsible for education model design and for the operation of intercultural universities. E-mail: lcasillas@sep.gob