Intercultural education in Mexico from the perspective of educational actors

Abstract

This contribution on intercultural education aims to rescue some theoretical positions, in an effort to establish differences between this proposal in relation to assimilationist tendencies that characterized the predominant indigenous education in Mexico in the 20th century; As a second objective, the challenges faced when trying to conceptualize and put the intercultural proposal into practice were analyzed from the perspective of actors participating in indigenous education in Chihuahua, Mexico. This qualitative study was conducted using the hermeneutic method, through which educational stakeholders in these contexts express their feelings and aspirations regarding intercultural education. A questionnaire was administered to them and in-depth interviews were conducted. The participating subjects: 16 teachers and/or directors of indigenous education were contacted by the inspectors; In turn, they invited 16 parents to participate in the interview, with children in the indigenous primary education offered by their school. The findings show that there is no consensus on what is meant by intercultural education. With the new educational policy in force in Mexico, new avenues and opportunities for intercultural education are opening up; however, efforts must be multiplied to bridge the gap between theory and practice.