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The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, backed this Thursday the decision of the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) to stop the operation of schools that present themselves as "militarized," "military," or "armed forces," following the death of a 13-year-old adolescent during a summer course at a center of this type in the northern state of Tamaulipas.
"It is very sad what happened there in Tamaulipas and it is being addressed, and it is a very good decision made by the SEP because, under the pretext of discipline, there are abuses, and that cannot be allowed," the president stated during her morning press conference.
The SEP's decision came after the death of 13-year-old Dafne Zapata on July 16 during a course at the Marina Doenitz Militarized Academy, located in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.
The state prosecutor's office is investigating the case as a femicide and has arrested the director of the center and two employees for their probable participation. The autopsy determined that the adolescent died of asphyxia by submersion, while her relatives reported that she had suffered mistreatment during her stay.
The SEP ordered state education authorities to review, before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the authorizations, permits, and recognitions of official validity granted to schools that use names linked to military training.
Once identified, they must suspend their activities and initiate administrative procedures for their definitive closure, in addition to handing over academic documents to the students and refunding payments corresponding to services that were not provided.
Sheinbaum maintained that discipline cannot be used to justify aggression against minors and defended a conception of teaching based on rights and freedom.
"Education, it is true, is a part of learning boundaries, but it is above all a space of freedom, of the construction of freedom. Therefore, no type of abuse against childhood should be allowed," she expressed.
"It was a good decision that the SEP made, and let's see if they can inform us how many schools are recognized as such," added Sheinbaum, who asked the Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado, to publish the number of centers that operate under this modality.
The case also revived the discussion regarding other deaths of minors recorded in similar institutions in the states of Mexico and Morelos between 2023 and 2025.
The Secretariat of National Defense clarified that it lacks the authority to authorize, supervise, or regulate these types of schools and denied any link to the Tamaulipas academy.
The SEP argued that these modalities are incompatible with humanistic education, human rights, and a culture of peace, and recalled that military training corresponds exclusively to Defense for the preparation of members of the Armed Forces and the National Guard.
[Publicidad]