U.S. Embassy Announces Scholarships for 63 Teachers, Technical Advisors on Education and Youth

Mexico City, July 14, 2011 – During a ceremony presided over by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires John D. Feeley and the Undersecretary for Basic Education Fernando González, 63 students, teachers, and technical advisors from Mexican rural indigenous communities were awarded scholarships to study in the United States. 
 
The scholarship winners are from the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Durango, Estado de México, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz.
 
The first set of scholarships – funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with Georgetown University’s Scholarships for Education and Economic Development (SEED) Program – will allow 23 young Mexicans to study in community colleges for two years.  Study programs are designed to provide them with technical skills that contribute to the development of their communities and regions.  Fields of study include Quality Control, Agribusiness for Export, and Small and Medium Enterprise Management.
 
In collaboration with the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) and its Office of Indigenous Education, the program will also provide one-year scholarships to 20 Mexican teachers and six-month scholarships to 20 technical advisors on indigenous education, who will attend the University of Arizona. They will participate in programs aimed at strengthening their pedagogical skills and improving the quality of rural primary education for indigenous children.
 
Since its creation in 2003, the program has awarded over 400 scholarships. The estimated U.S. Government contribution to date is approximately 12.8 million dollars.
 
Chargé d’Affaires John D. Feeley stated during the ceremony, “This year, USAID is celebrating its 50th anniversary.  The agency’s role in Mexico has been characterized for its collaboration and support of Mexican initiatives in areas such as healthcare, the environment, governability, justice, and of course, education. Today, half a century after President John F. Kennedy’s vision, we celebrate the continuous collaboration between our two governments with the common goal of improving Mexico’s education, following the guidelines established by the Calderon Administration’s Plan Nacional de Desarrollo.”