Analysis of the autonomy and the regulations of the private higher education in Mexico
Diez Uriarte, Maria (2018)
2018
MDP in Research and Innovation in Higher Education
Johtamiskorkeakoulu - Faculty of Management
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2018-06-15
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201806282107
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201806282107
Tiivistelmä
According to the Mexican law, private individuals are allowed to grant higher education as long as they fulfill the established requirements. Different a priori (legislation, agreements, basic requirements and approvals) and a posteriori (supervisions and recognition of degrees) instruments are used by multiple authorities to regulate the system, constraining mainly the academic autonomy of the higher education institutions. However, these mechanisms seem not to be sufficient because, in recent years, many low quality private higher education institutions have flourished. Therefore, in order to understand how these regulations constrain or enhance the institutions’ capacities and explore their role in the proliferation of low quality institutions, this study analyzes in depth the nature of the private higher education in Mexico, the current mechanisms that regulate the sector, and the different degree of the autonomy that they enjoy in their several dimensions.
To achieve the purpose of this study, a qualitative research, and more specifically, an exploratory qualitative inquiry research, has been carried out. Hence, first of all, this research starts by analyzing the private higher education and the characteristics of the autonomy it enjoys, as well as the current mechanisms that exist for its regulation. Second, it reviews the policy documents that today regulate the private higher education in Mexico (The Mexican Constitution, The General Law of Education, The Law for the Coordination of Higher Education, the Agreement 243 and the Agreement 17/11/17), and the contributions that other authors have made over time, to have a better understanding of the phenomenon. Third, it analyzes the information collected in several interviews, in order to comprehend the interpretations of those involved in the phenomenon. Thus, a purposive sampling was selected and semi-structured interviews were carried out to explore the perspectives of different actors that are part of the higher education system in Mexico, playing diverse roles in the field, and with varied working experiences in different institutions.
The findings of this research reveal that private higher education in Mexico is perceived as a fundamental sector of the tertiary education level, playing a specific role for the formation of the elites that opposed the ideology taught at the public sector, but also for granting education to a sector of the population that is left without access from the public sector. Therefore, private education has become a complex topic of study. In general, it has been found that private higher education institutions enjoy a high degree of autonomy, as regulations do not seem to limit very much their ability to act and self-govern. While they enjoy higher degrees of autonomy in the financial, organizational and staffing dimensions, the academic dimension is the most constrained. Despite this high degree of autonomy, most participants do not consider that regulations have been the reason for the proliferation of low quality education institutions, as the literature has pointed out; on the contrary, participants concur that the lack of access is the main reason for their proliferation.
To achieve the purpose of this study, a qualitative research, and more specifically, an exploratory qualitative inquiry research, has been carried out. Hence, first of all, this research starts by analyzing the private higher education and the characteristics of the autonomy it enjoys, as well as the current mechanisms that exist for its regulation. Second, it reviews the policy documents that today regulate the private higher education in Mexico (The Mexican Constitution, The General Law of Education, The Law for the Coordination of Higher Education, the Agreement 243 and the Agreement 17/11/17), and the contributions that other authors have made over time, to have a better understanding of the phenomenon. Third, it analyzes the information collected in several interviews, in order to comprehend the interpretations of those involved in the phenomenon. Thus, a purposive sampling was selected and semi-structured interviews were carried out to explore the perspectives of different actors that are part of the higher education system in Mexico, playing diverse roles in the field, and with varied working experiences in different institutions.
The findings of this research reveal that private higher education in Mexico is perceived as a fundamental sector of the tertiary education level, playing a specific role for the formation of the elites that opposed the ideology taught at the public sector, but also for granting education to a sector of the population that is left without access from the public sector. Therefore, private education has become a complex topic of study. In general, it has been found that private higher education institutions enjoy a high degree of autonomy, as regulations do not seem to limit very much their ability to act and self-govern. While they enjoy higher degrees of autonomy in the financial, organizational and staffing dimensions, the academic dimension is the most constrained. Despite this high degree of autonomy, most participants do not consider that regulations have been the reason for the proliferation of low quality education institutions, as the literature has pointed out; on the contrary, participants concur that the lack of access is the main reason for their proliferation.