Director: Daniel C. Levy

Mexico Shuts Down Private Universities

(Summary by Yingying Xu)

PROPHE Summary:
The Mexican government has shut down 88 private universities over the past two years for failing to meet basic standards. The growing number of private universities responds to the growing demand for higher education among middle-class Mexicans, but most of these institutions have poor academic quality and lack basic facilities. Many Mexican educators have welcomed the closings. The rector of a respected private institution in Mexico City said the government should apply more rigorous standards in approving new private universities and in regulating existing ones, all the while expanding the enrollment capacity of public universities.

For the full story (shown with permission) see the Chronicle of Higher Education, May 29, 2003, "Mexican Government Has Closed 88 Private Universities," by Marion Lloyd.
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/05/2003052905n.htm

PROPHE Observation:
In Mexico, as in much of the developing world, a surge of demand-absorbing private institutions has raised serious questions about quality. Also as in Mexico, critics of the proliferating private institutions often include the more established private universities. Although the idea of a (delayed) government crackdown on proliferation echoes internationally, the Mexican case offers a dramatic example of action.