Engineers should build schools, not students, parents, and teachers

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The federal government 's austerity plan suggests the disappearance of the National Education's Physical Infrastructure Institute (INIFED ). The new plan is to allocate the institute's budget to the school communities so that they repair, remodel, and even build the public schools and facilities. The INIFED is currently in charge of setting construction rules and building public schools, as well as supervising their infrastructure but according to the announcement made by President López Obrador , the program “ The school is ours ,” the federal government will allocate the budget to committees formed by students, teachers, and parents .

Nevertheless, the Education Ministry carried out a census that revealed that out of 145,000 public schools , almost a third of the schools have structural failures and another third operates using unauthorized facilities . Therefore, it would be absurd to put these tasks on the hands of those who are not experts and it would also mean to endanger the students and employees. Furthermore, the valuable experience of the INIFED would be lost, even when the institute is formed by experts on construction and permit management , some of the most difficult aspects in the reconstruction process , which perhaps have not been considered in the government's proposal.

Moreover, the f ederal administration did not consider that many of the facilities were not only built to be used as schools, but also as shelters and refuges in case of natural disasters . But now, after the government announced its intention to place the schools' infrastructure at the hands of students, parents, and teacher s, those who use the facilities would be vulnerable and at risk since the new schools would be built following self-construction and improvised methods, as well as looking for lower prices when purchasing materials and hiring suppliers.

Buildings schools is not to simply build four walls and a roof, it requires careful planning carried out by engineers and experts so that the facilities resist certain weather conditions or natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes .