In 1968 , when Mexico hosted the Olympic Games in the capital , there were widespread demonstrations against spending so much on such an event , when there were higher national priorities . University students participated in a major way in these demonstrations , with the government reacting violently in the Tlatelolco massacre of October 1968 . In June 1971 , there was further student activism in Mexico City that resulted in more violent government repression , known as the Corpus Christi massacre . Recognizing that failures in the educational system was a cause of the 1968 student activism , the government of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ( 1964-1970 ) attempted to implement educational reform as part of a wider social reform . The government sought to reach Mexicans who had not had access to education previously and the use of radio and television were seen as ways to do this . Adult education became a focus of the expansion . With the presidency of Luis Echeverría ( 1970-1976 ) , the expansion included the use of telenovelas ( soap operas ) to shape public understandings , and Mexico became a pioneer in the use of this medium for policy matters . Better health care in earlier years had resulted in a population boom as infant mortality declined and fertility increased . With Catholic Church opposition to birth control , the secular format of telenovela were a means to bring a message of the benefits of family planning to women . The government sought to strengthen higher education particularly in the sciences and technology , establishing the National Council of Science and Technology ( CONACYT ) in 1970 . It funds fellowships for graduate students to study abroad to increase their specialized knowledge . Despite sustained government efforts over several presidential administrations , Mexican education had not significantly affected low education levels and high levels of illiteracy in the country , especially in rural areas . President José López Portillo ( 1976-1982 ) created a National Literacy Program ( '' Pronalf '' ) in 1980 and then established an independent institute for adult education ( Instituto Nacional de Educación para Adultos INEA ) . With the collapse of the Mexican economy during the oil crisis of 1982 , educational reform awaited economic recovery
Tlatelolco massacre
Tlatelolco massacre
Education in Mexico