The academic perspective
1.4.1 The Importance of creativity in Mexican Higher Education context
The Higher Education system in Mexico characterizes by its heterogeneity and diversity. A range of institutions of different types with different regimes and forms of support, including autonomous and non-autonomous, public and private, state, federal, university, technological, teaching schools and intercultural institutions (Chehaibar Náder, et al., 2012).
According to the VI Government Report, in the 2011-2012 school year, enrolment in Higher Education for face to face tuition was almost three million students (2 932 000).
The previous rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Dr. José Narro Robles (period 2011-2015), coordinated a study that presented an evaluation of the National System of Education with proposals for reform which would address the
challenges identified in the research. This was published in a book with the title Ten-year plan to develop the national education system.
In the chapter dedicated to the Higher Education System they reported that over the last two decades, major initiatives to improve the quality of higher education had focused on the association between risk assessment and financial resources as the main strategy to achieve the proposed goals, and that such a strategy had been implemented through multiple and varied programmes.
While the evaluation succeeded in establishing accountability in higher education, it was unfortunately not able to address issues relating to improving the quality of teaching. The indicators used to assess the quality of education, although important for institutions to make improvements (such as increasing the level of education of academic staff, improving the time allocation for teaching, consolidating infrastructure, etc.) did not assess quality itself. The research identified that there were significant quality differences between and within institutions (Chehaibar Náder, et al., 2012).
According to the data reported in the study, by 2012, the total number of teachers in Higher Education, from both public and private institution was 342 269.30. This means that over the last two decades the number of academic staff had nearly tripled (in 1990 figure was 134,424). Of the total jobs, about a quarter were full-time teachers and the average age of such teachers in public universities was 48 years.
According to figures reported on the website of the General Direction of Scholar Administration in 2015, UNAM, where the present study was undertaken had 38,793 academic staff. In addition, in the same year the number of students enrolled in
undergraduate programmes was 201,206. These figures give an idea of the complexity of UNAM.
In relation to education programmes for teachers, UNAM has a section called the
Directorate of General Academic Staff Affairs, that is responsible amongst other things for offering different kind of training for staff and updating courses. However, each school can also offer a variety of courses, workshops, and diplomas to meet the specific training needs of their academic staff. The complexity of such a system, means that there are a variety of approaches to teacher education programmes that makes it difficult to assess their impact on the quality of education and on students’ learning and learning outcomes.
The Mexican Minister of Education, Emilio Chuayffet Chemor, states in the government document, “The National Program for Education 2013-2018”, that education is the cornerstone of 'the Mexico of the future’, and goes on to argue:
The challenge we are facing is enormous, and the basic elements that will enable us to make the changes required consist of people; better informed individuals, citizens that respect the law and their
environment; creative human beings who sympathize with others; persons that can understand and
learn, and who are capable of facing challenges, overcoming adversity and building a better tomorrow (The National Program for Education 2013-2018, p. 12).
One of the objectives of this program, objective number 6 states the promotion of scientific and technological education as essential for the transformation of Mexico into a knowledge society member.
The following argues the importance of this purpose:
The ability to innovate is one of the factors that make the difference on the road to development.
While graduates of all educational levels should be creative and produce appropriate solutions to the
contexts in which they operate, is in higher education, particularly at the post-graduate level, where the generation of new knowledge and creativity become more important. Institutions with
postgraduate students have the responsibility to develop in them the capacity to make a direct
contribution to the advancement of knowledge, innovation and scientific and technological development, and thereby improve living standards in the country (Education Sector Programme,
2013-2018, p.29).
The document emphasized that, stimulating creativity in students and their approach to productive activities is crucial for the generation of ideas that will later be exploited by society (Education Sector Programme, 2013-2018, p. 29).
One of the strategies mentioned to accomplish this objective is strengthening the
analytical and creative ability of Mexicans with a modern view of science and technology.
Three types of actions linked to this strategy are as follows:
Promote programmes that encourage social appropriation of science, technology and innovation, especially among children and young people.
Support projects to encourage the development of creative and innovative talent.
Support mechanisms for measuring the social perception of science and technology in the country.
The Programme, links innovation and creativity to science and technology and therefore to productivity and to the possibility of generating new ideas that would translate into better living conditions for the Mexican people.
In the document cited, there is no mention of the role of teachers in the process of encouraging the development of creative and innovative talent and there is no mention of what kind of educational model might accomplish these aims. The aims should involve teacher education programmes that can create the basis for facilitating the achievement of the objectives.
Zubieta García et al. (2012) affirm that although the quality assessment indicators used until now have been widely criticized, some information has been gained from them about the type of changes that are needed. For example, the research has identified the need to design more flexible educational models which are relevant for the diversity of students and institutions, focused on learning, on learners and on high quality education. Such educational models, amongst other things, should facilitate, as recommended by The Conference Board of Canada (2008), developing students’ skills to adapt quickly to different situations, including national and international contexts. Such skills include teamwork, the use of information and communications technology, creativity and
innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, adaptability, initiative and autonomy in addition to disciplinary knowledge.
To achieve these goals, teachers must be able to perform their functions effectively including understanding and communicating their knowledge and supporting the
generation or the innovative application of knowledge with a balanced distribution of time between academic tasks. It was therefore proposed that there should be a continuation of the implementation of programmes to strengthen the training of teachers in public
institutions of higher education at all levels (Zubieta García et al., 2012). Zubieta Garcia and colleagues concluded that innovative, and improvement initiatives in education always need to take into account the role that structure, political guidelines, resources,
organizational conditions and teachers play in ensuring their success. They argued that if this was not the case, good intentions might remain as paper exercises without ever reaching the students’ everyday reality in relation to educational processes.