Education, QR Codes, and International Aid in Mexico

The People's Morning Conference. Nothing quite like a mid-week spectacle of bureaucratic brilliance and legal tomfoolery to remind you that you are, in fact, living in the most fascinating of times. This week’s show, led by the ineffably calm President Claudia Sheinbaum, offered all the thrills of a slightly damp firework. But don’t let the seemingly dry tone fool you; there was plenty to unpack from the announcements made. Allow me to take you through it.

300,000 New University Places

First up, Mario Delgado, the Secretary of Public Education, boldly promised to open 300,000 new places for higher education in public and—get this—free institutions. Yes, you heard that right. Free. A wonderful idea, truly. A nation with a growing youth population, all craving knowledge, is to be gifted 300,000 shiny new university places.

Now, I’m all for education. Knowledge is power, as they say, and universities should be bustling, dynamic places where young people thrive. But here’s the thing: 300,000? Just like that? Is this some kind of miraculous feat that will spring up new buildings, professors, and textbooks out of thin air? Call me cynical, but when you’ve spent any amount of time listening to politicians, the word “goal” feels more like a suggestion than an actual commitment.

Delgado certainly seemed confident. And I’ll give him credit for that. But the true test will be whether these 300,000 new university seats are filled with more than just lofty promises and empty desks. Don’t be surprised if next year, when asked about it, we get a response along the lines of “Oh, yes, we’ve created the spaces. Just haven’t quite gotten around to opening them.”

Rosario Castellanos University Goes National

Next up, a bit of fanfare for the intellectual elite as Rosario Castellanos University and the University of Health are set to “go national.” Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez, the Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (yes, that’s her full title – imagine fitting that on a business card), enthusiastically announced that come November, both these institutions will be opening up shop on a bigger scale. They’ll even be launching calls for both teachers and students, which is fantastic, except it all comes with a rather quaint caveat: hybrid face-to-face modality.

That’s right. We’re talking about a university system designed around not just physical interaction but virtual, which is a bit like having a driving instructor teach you how to parallel park from the comfort of their living room.

In a world where half the students have become Zoom-call zombies, this “hybrid” thing isn’t exactly cutting-edge anymore. It’s the academic equivalent of reheated leftovers. Necessary, perhaps, but hardly groundbreaking.

The QR Code That Led to Nowhere

Here’s where things get truly interesting, and by interesting, I mean mind-boggling. As if we weren’t already tangled in enough bureaucratic tape, President Sheinbaum unveiled a bit of government wizardry that can only be described as pure gold.

A legal document, intended to announce a judicial reform, was delivered via QR code. High-tech? Oh, absolutely. Except—oh dear—it doesn’t work. The QR code, when scanned, leads absolutely nowhere. Yes, in true Kafkaesque fashion, a message simply pops up saying it’s been “eliminated.”

This is Mexican bureaucracy at its finest. They’ve taken the simple process of sending a notification and wrapped it in a layer of digital absurdity that would make even Orwell scratch his head in confusion. A QR code that points to nothing, certified by a notary, no less, because in case you weren’t already convinced of the inefficiency, we need legal evidence that, yes, the QR code really doesn’t work. You couldn’t make this up if you tried.

Mexican Oil for Cuba – A Gift of Blackouts?

Lastly, the pièce de résistance of this whole affair: Mexico’s proposal to send fuel to Cuba as part of its humanitarian aid efforts. Now, before you think that this is simply a nice gesture between neighbors, let’s take a moment to appreciate the delightful irony here.

Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission, the CFE, is already providing technical support to Cuba, because—let’s be honest—Cuba’s electricity situation is less ‘flickering lightbulb’ and more ‘complete and utter blackout.’ And now, the suggestion on the table is that we also send oil to Cuba. Presumably, to power generators or perhaps just keep the lights on long enough for someone to yell “¡Viva la Revolución!” before everything plunges back into darkness.

There’s something almost poetic about Mexico, a country with its own chronic infrastructure problems, extending a hand to help Cuba deal with its blackouts. It’s like two swimmers stuck in a whirlpool, each trying to save the other while simultaneously drowning.

Don’t get me wrong, humanitarian aid is important, and Cuba certainly needs all the help it can get. But one can’t help but wonder if Mexico is just one power grid malfunction away from needing to keep its own oil reserves under lock and key. It’s a delicate balancing act, and I’m curious to see how long this generous offer can last before someone looks at the electricity bills and starts scratching their head.

So there you have it: another midweek dose of governmental hoopla, Mexican-style. From promises of educational miracles to QR codes that lead to a void, this People's Morning Conference was an exercise in balancing optimism with reality. If nothing else, it was a reminder that the world of politics—especially Mexican politics—is a strange and wonderful place where the absurd often reigns supreme, and we are left watching with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.

But hey, at least we now have the comforting knowledge that somewhere out there is a QR code leading nowhere, certified by a notary. And really, isn’t that all we’ve ever wanted from our leaders?