Baja California readies schools for over 1 million students returning in August

The state government of Baja California announced that more than one million children will return to classrooms on 31 August across seven municipalities. An investment of 91 billion pesos has been allocated to basic education, covering teacher salaries, school meals and infrastructure upgrades. Eight new public schools are being built with a 263‑million‑peso budget, including two high schools in Tijuana, a high school in Playas de Rosarito, a pre‑school, a primary school, a university campus and a multiple‑attention centre in Mexicali. A rehabilitation programme has already upgraded 478 existing schools, achieving full coverage in San Quintín and San Felipe. Textbooks, 50 000 backpacks, 45 000 uniforms and more than 7 000 pairs of glasses will be distributed, while universal breakfast provision and state scholarships complement the federal Rita Cetina and Benito Juárez programmes. The administration has granted 2 662 teacher pensions, with a target of 3 320 by the end of the term, and has paid retroactive salary increases for 2026. A new Integral School Protection programme will help prevent risks in schools. Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda highlighted the measures as a way to give families certainty and improve learning conditions.