Virtually all of us could agree that education is the basis of development and progress. It is well said that knowledge is power; know gives us the ability to do to transform our environment.
However, an interesting debate has been opened about the current state of education, both in Mexico and in other countries. Discussing a topic of the greatest importance is always opportune, at least to invite reflection.
The poignant observations revolve around topics such as the educational gap in marginalized populations; the low ability of students to exercise critical thinking and logical reasoning; as well as the lack of preparation offered by the current educational model for the challenges of the 21st century.
Of course, these are legitimate considerations that should be addressed, although it seems to me that for this purpose it is essential to focus on what is essential in order to understand that the construction of a new educational paradigm requires the participation of all social actors.
On this occasion, I will refer to the role of business in strengthening the educational system:
As a first point, entrepreneurs are a key force in the economic growth of communities, since it is precisely they who, through their commitment and dedication, generate the vast majority of jobs.
In addition, business organizations, hand in hand with innovation and development, increase productivity, boosting the economy for the benefit of the population in general.
Thus, businessmen understand better than anyone that the success of a company or business depends on the talent and skills of its employees. So, the educational gap, regardless of being a problem in itself, affects the performance of the company as an economic engine.
It is clear that governments are responsible for educational policy, which is why they must be required to have adequate infrastructure, solid study programs and specific strategies to promote quality in public education.
However, if we aspire to build an educational system of excellence, it is essential that the business community be actively involved and in a broad sense.
An effective way to achieve this goal is to incorporate the vision of businessmen within the educational councils and governing bodies of the schools, which are the ones who draw up the study plans.