From a business perspective, there are public decisions that are measured not only by their legality, but also by their long-term cost. The dismissal of Marx Arriaga from his position at the Ministry of Public Education is one such example, and it is not a minor administrative episode. This is the belated correction of a gamble that placed ideology above knowledge and leaves uncomfortable lessons for those who think that education can be treated as a political laboratory without economic consequences.
When an official acknowledges that he designed textbooks “from the workshop,” it’s not a miscalculated phrase. It’s an admission that a basic input for the formation of the country’s human capital was constructed under a specific political current. Article 3 of the Constitution leaves no room for creative interpretations: education in Mexico must be secular, scientific, and democratic. Translated into business language, that means methodological neutrality, technical rigor, and a focus on results. The opposite of a design with a militant bias.
The underlying problem is not only ideological, but also one of professional competence. Arriaga arrived in an area of great importance without any experience in curriculum design or early childhood learning. His training in philology did not prepare him to define mathematics, reading, or science content for basic education. In a company, such an appointment would have raised immediate alarms. In the public sector, it was normalized, and the result was predictable: materials with errors, conceptual confusion, and a public defense that preferred to call failures that directly affected the educational process “areas of opportunity.”
For those of us who see education as the foundation for economic development, the damage is not measured in media controversies, but in future productivity, and a country lagging behind in reading comprehension and mathematical thinking cannot afford to experiment with dogma. Each generation that leaves school ill-prepared is a less skilled, less adaptable, and more costly workforce to integrate into the formal market. This impacts public education, but also private education, which ends up absorbing deficiencies that are not its responsibility.
Arriaga’s dismissal opens a window of opportunity that should not be wasted. Restoring the Educational Materials department means returning it to specialists, educators with technical training, and curriculum designers who understand that school is not a soapbox. For private enterprise, this matters more than is commonly acknowledged. Companies don’t invest in countries where they have to spend additional resources to train graduates who do not master the basics from scratch.
The discussion is not limited to the labor market or the education system. It also extends to sectors that depend on the international perception of the country, such as tourism. Over the years, Mexico has built an image associated with hospitality, professional services, and the logistical capacity for large-scale events. When the education system conveys improvisation or ideological bias instead of rigor, that image is eroded. Poor human capital training ends up being reflected in tourism services, cultural management, languages, and service operations, areas where the visitor’s experience is defined by the preparation of those who receive them.
This is particularly relevant in light of commitments such as the World Cup 2026. Organizing an event of this magnitude requires technical staff, bilingual operators, cultural managers, and personnel with professional judgment. If the country arrives with an education system weakened by political decisions, the cost will not only be measured in classrooms, but also in lost opportunities to attract tourism investment, parallel projects, and international reputation. In business, credibility is also educated, and when it fails at the grassroots level, the market perceives it before any official discourse.
In Miami, where the Mexican community closely watches what is happening in their country of origin, the message is also clear. Educational decisions in Mexico influence migration flows, the quality of talent that crosses borders, and the perception of institutional seriousness. No one trusts capital in a system that turns education into political indoctrination.
The Arriaga episode leaves a clear lesson: when pedagogy is replaced by dogma, the entire country pays the price. Correcting the course requires less rhetoric and more effective learning hours, clear evaluations, and a vision that understands that good education is not an ideological gesture, but a strategic investment. And like any bad investment, this one left losses that we have yet to quantify.
