The Secretary of Public Education (SEP) instructed education authorities in all states that, for the start of the 2026-2027 school year on August 31, no educational institution may offer services under the denomination or modality of "Militarized," "Military," "Army," or any reference to military instruction or discipline.
The measure comes after the controversy sparked by the alleged femicide of 13-year-old Dafne Zapata, after she entered a militarized academy in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, where, as part of a hazing ritual, she allegedly received so many blows that they caused her death.
The instruction against this type of militarized school was given by the head of the SEP, Mario Delgado Carrillo, following up on a communication issued on July 24 regarding supposed institutions that present themselves as "military" or "militarized."
In a statement released this Wednesday, the SEP said that, based on its constitutional powers and the General Education Law, it requested the Secretariats of Education of the federal entities to carry out an "exhaustive review" of all authorizations, permits, and Official Recognition of Studies (RVOE) that have been issued in their respective entities.
It added that, "in cases where institutions operating under this type of denomination or modality are detected, their activities will be suspended and the corresponding administrative procedures for their definitive closure must be initiated."
It added that "the immediate delivery of school documentation to students who may be affected must be ordered, including total or partial certificates of studies and any other documents in the possession of the institutions, in order to guarantee the continuity of their school trajectory and facilitate their incorporation into another educational alternative."
It also detailed that, if there are payments made for educational services pending accrual, such as re-enrollments, supplies, uniforms, or any other concept, "these must be immediately refunded by the schools."
"Humanist education"
Delgado Carrillo assured that "there cannot be a true educational transformation if we allow any expression of violence."
Then, he recalled that the so-called New Mexican School (NEM) "promotes a humanist education that encourages dialogue as a way to resolve differences, strengthens the culture of peace, and protects, above all, the best interests of children and adolescents."
Therefore, he stated that the provision of educational services under military denominations or modalities is "incompatible with the purposes and principles of the National Educational System (SEN) since military education is limited to the training of personnel of the Armed Forces and the National Guard, and is provided exclusively by the Secretary of National Defense (Defense)."
The SEP's measure comes a year and three months after the death of Erick Leonardo Terán Torbellín, a 13-year-old teenager who studied at the Ollin Cuauhtémoc Militarized Academy in Mexico City. However, in April 2025, the school organized a "survival" camp in Cuautla and Tepoztlán, Morelos, allegedly without permission from educational authorities. The teenager reportedly died also after a hazing ritual.
With information from Proceso.
