This document describes the experience of using a GIS as a planning tool for High Schools Public System at Mexican State of Hidalgo.

Hidalgo is a Mexican State (or Province). Its territory covers 2,000 square kilometres. Hidalgo is located at eastern edge of Mexico's central plateau, 60 Miles far from Mexico City. Today, 2.1 million inhabitants live there.

MEXICO E HIDALGO



• Phisography
Northern half of Hidalgo extends on SIERRA (Carso Huasteco, phisiographic subprovince). Southern half extends on HIGH PLAINS of central plateau (Eje NeoVolcanico phisiographic province) Main urban places are located in Southern Hidalgo, closer to Mexico City.

HIDALGO. REGIONES FISIOGRÁFICAS



• Social Conditions


Hidalgo is an underdeveloped territory of a developing country. It is today the 4th most marginated (poorest) Mexican Province, and Its SIERRA (Northern) region is the poorest area of Hidalgo.

HIDALGO. MARGINALIDAD MUNICIPAL



HIDALGO. INDIGENOUS POPULATION



Population of SIERRA is basically integrated by naturals (Indian origin). Two ethnical lines are prevalent (náhuas and ñañhús). In Hidalgo coexist today two cultures. An Indian culture, self-nurtured, and a "mestizo" culture, oriented to Western values. Indian language speaking population share (15.2% Hidalgo versus 6.0% National)

• Demographic Features
Recent Census (1995) registered 2.11 million inhabitants settled in 4.4 thousand sites. Only 44 sites were bigger than 5,000 inhabitants. Only 23 places were bigger than 10 thousand. Only 13 villages were bigger than 20,000 inhabitants.

IF Rural sites are those with 5,000 inhabits. Or less In 99% sites lived 60% of population.

MEXICO. POBLACIÓN URBANA Y RURAL 1970-1995



IF Urban sites are those with 20,000 inhabit. Or more In 44 (1%) sites lived 40% of population.

HIDALGO. LOCALIDADES I 1995



Hidalgo lives today a late process of urbanisation. It still shows a relatively higher level of rural population (60% Hidalgo versus 32% National) and a significant rural to urban migration.

HIDALGO. LOCALIDADES II 1995



Hidalgo still shows a few (44) urban places and a relatively lower rate of urban population. (40% Hidalgo versus 58% National)

HIDALGO. RED DE LOCALIDADES URBANAS



Government of Mexican State of Hidalgo faces a clear challenge today: this is to provide basic services, especially educational services, to a disperse (rural) population.

FIRST PART

USING GIS FOR SCHOOL PLANNING

Education is a scarce good in Hidalgo. The 1995 rate of illiteracy was 13.4%. This is not the place for discussing about uneven opportunities for local population. We only point here out the use of GIS for documenting local educational deficit and rationalising growth of High School system.

HIDALGO. PLANTELES DE EMS



First, a GIS provided to us a territorial view of the global High School State System. 1998 The firs question to answer was:

Where the Schools are? We needed a territorial view of a database, which classified schools by
• Private or public (state, federal)
• Kind of program: (propedeutical, terminal, mixed)
• Population (matricula)
• Location, municipality
A similar database of Hidalgo System of Secondary Schools (Previous Grade) or EMB was also developed. COBERTURA TERRITORIAL DE LOS PLANTELES DE EMS



We knew from the beginning the global figures: At Hidalgo, 1 from 3 boys entering elementary school will arrive to High School. In 1998, state population at age 15-17 accounted by 130 thousand. Demand for High School was shorter. Each year 17 thousand registered in any High School. The whole System registered 60 thousand people.

Soon GIS was answering a vital question

Are High Schools covering the whole territory?

With the help of a GIS is possible and digitalized carthography is possible a simple spatial analysis.

On the global map of sites and population we overlap the map of High Schools and schools of previous level (or EMB)

Assumption:

Each school serves its own site and nearest places (40 minutes walk) also serves sites communicated by road not far of 5 or 10 kilometres, depending the kind of the road. We call here Influence Area to the sum of areas of service.

So is possible determine population (and sites)
• With High School service
• Inside Influence Area, with EMB service
• Inside Influence Area, without EMB service
• Outside Influence Area, with EMB service
• Outside Influence Area, without EMB service
HIDALGO. DEMANDA DE PLANTELES DE EMS



Information derived from spatial analysis is the great importance for planners. It is useful to evaluate choices and define strategies with lower cost/benefit relation.

THE TELEBACHILLERATO: A school for rural´s Five years ago, local educators designed an especial kind of schools oriented to rural people. The schools were built around a TV set in each room

• Classes were (still are) pre-recorded in video;
• Classes follow a Guía Didactica or textbook, according to official programs;
• Classes are conducted by asesores co-ordinators (teachers). A standard school has four asesores, one each area (social, sciences, computing and foreign language)
• Each school has two small workrooms for labour training conducted by two professional trainers.

TELEBACHILLERATOS (Tbs.) soon were a State and educational success. Demand for Tbs. rise. It was needed then a planning tool for rationalising school growth. Use of a GIS helped local planning; also served for facing political pressures.

The Demand for new TELEBACHILLERATOS was commanded by

• Local population
• Regional politicians

Soon a frequently question to answer was

What is the Viability of a planned School, especially Tbs?

Planners used then a GIS to recognise the regional context of proposed schools, which is to say

• The regional population finishing previous level
• Relative position of planned schools to: Other sites or central places Areas of influence of High School System

Four examples of use of GIS are presented

Example 1.

A demanded School at Durango

Durango is an off the road Sierra town. Isolated with not strong connections with urban system. Our GIS helped to demonstrate the low viability of proposed school.

School application rejected

Example 2.

A TB demanded at Las Piedras-Piedra Hincada

Las Piedras and Piedra Hincada are two border towns, located at extreme north of Hidalgo, at Huasteca region. Original settlers were peculiar. Many of them choose that place to live because their problems with Hidalgo justice. Regional matricula was numerosa. Fieldwork, parallel to work with GIS, found important local infrastructure, useful for proposed school.

School at Las Piedras was approved. School transportation from Piedra Hincada was recommended to increase efficiency.

Example 3.

Approach to Actopan village & region

Governor Office asked TELEBACHILLERATO to study particular situation of ACTOPAN, local and regional level.

Actopan: 24,000 inhabit. (Core) 1995 A GIS was used for approaching the situation and deliver a proper answer.

Example 4.

Use of a GIS for the design of Transportation Routes

Three years old, TELEBACHILLERATO revisited itself and reviewed its efficiency in terms of installed capacity

• Working groups
• Rooms
Result: Low use of installed capacity (43%) Thus, Tbs´ authorities decided to design several transportation Routes.

HIDALGO. SIERRA



HIDALGO. DURANGO



HIDALGO. HUASTECA



HIDALGO. LAS PIEDRAS



HIDALGO. ACTOPAN AREA



HIDALGO. ACTOPAN ZOOM



HIDALGO. TRANSPORTATION ROUTES. SIERRA



HIDALGO. TRANSPORTATION ROUTES. HUASTECA





 
 

SECOND PART (under construction)

A PROBLEM & A CHALLENGE

The Problem

Economic Activity of a certain region may be not taken in account when designing Plans and Curricula of Colleges and High Schools. In these cases a divorce between School and Industry is set.

A goal of Public Policy may be to establish some basic or primary relationships between regional productive apparatus (specially the regional industry) and Colleges and High Schools Curricula

Hidalgo faces this challenge. It seems our GIS may help analysing the problem.

HIDALGO REVISITED

• Hidalgo Industrial Sector


HIDALGO. POBLACIÓN OCUPADA EN EL SECTOR INDUSTRIAL



• College and High School Systems


HIDALGO. MATRICULA DE EMS



HIDALGO. MATRICULA DE ES



• Recommendations (to do)
Some highs an lows of use of GIS for School Planning (To elaborate)

junio de 2000