The Mexican government has scrapped a plan to shorten the school year ahead of the World Cup after facing strong opposition from parents, research organizations and local authorities, according to an official announcement Monday (March 3).
Earlier, Education Minister Mario Delgado unexpectedly announced the school year would end on June 5, about 40 days earlier than scheduled, citing a heatwave. The statement immediately sparked a wave of fierce criticism.
President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed skepticism about the proposal to shorten the school year and called a meeting on March 3 with education and government officials to listen to parents' views and consider alternatives. The meeting concluded with a decision to maintain the original academic calendar, ending the school year on July 15 and starting on August 31.
“The idea is to keep the vacation period at six weeks as usual. Some students may start early, while others continue on the old schedule. The goal is to reach a consensus decision,” Sheinbaum said. “Now we need to listen.”
Two states had already rejected the plan to shorten the school year before it was fully scrapped. Many parents also questioned the effectiveness of the measure.
According to the Mexican research organization Mexico Evalua, the decision to shorten the school year “would further reduce effective learning time for 23.4 million students.”
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, kicks off on June 11, with a match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City – the host team’s home ground.
President Sheinbaum also committed to ensuring the necessary “security conditions” for the matches, as well as completing infrastructure projects already underway before the tournament, notably the expansion of the Azteca Stadium and Mexico City International Airport.
