Mexico's Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado, has announced that educational authorities will meet next Monday, May 11, to finalize a proposal regarding the end of the 2025-2026 school year. The decision comes after a period of conflicting statements, following the Secretary's retreat from his initial plan to move the end of classes up to June 5.
The SEP's original proposal sought to shorten the academic calendar to mitigate the impact of extreme heat predicted for June and July, as well as to manage the logistical challenges posed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to a report by El Financiero on Thursday, May 7, Delgado had initially presented the early end date as a unanimous agreement by the National Council of Educational Authorities (Conaedu).
However, President Claudia Sheinbaum's stance shifted the direction of the educational policy. On Friday, May 8, the President clarified that the calendar had not been definitively modified, stating: “There is no defined calendar yet, but it is important that children do not miss classes.”
Impact on Learning and Union Tensions
Despite the presidential pushback, Delgado insisted that same Friday that the term would end on June 5, citing the need to address extreme temperatures and World Cup-related mobility issues. This persistence deepened the crisis with various social and political sectors.
Organizations such as México Evalúa warned that shortening the calendar would affect 2.34 million students, slashing effective instructional days from 45 to just 17. El Universal reported that the organization raised alarms regarding the SEP's lack of clarity concerning assessments and the completion of curriculum requirements.
The teaching community also voiced its opposition. Filiberto Frausto Orozco, leader of CNTE Section 34 in Zacatecas, accused the administration of attempting to use the early closure to neutralize an indefinite national strike and prevent protests during the World Cup. The union leader noted that his organization will soon announce a date for their mobilization.
Logistical Challenges and State Resistance
The SEP proposal also faced rejection from the governments of Jalisco, Nuevo León, and Guanajuato. In Jalisco, plans were underway to suspend in-person classes in the Metropolitan Area to avoid complications during World Cup matches; however, public pressure and friction with local educational authorities forced the SEP to rethink the measure.
The 2026 World Cup schedule presents direct conflicts with standard school and work hours in key host cities. El Financiero detailed that in Mexico City, the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 at 1:00 PM coincides with the shift change between morning and afternoon school sessions.
In Guadalajara, four matches scheduled on weekdays could complicate afternoon commutes, while in Monterrey, matches such as South Africa vs. South Korea on June 24 at 7:00 PM also overlap with the end of the workday.
Ultimately, facing the threat of legal injunctions from parents and dissatisfaction from private schools, Mario Delgado released a video confirming that the matter would be revisited. “We are going to meet again with all the secretaries of education from the federal entities to review the school calendar once more and come up with a definitive proposal next Monday,” the official admitted.
