36 Gifted Children Identified in Cancún and Isla Mujeres, Education Officials Report

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Education officials identified 36 intellectually gifted children in Cancún and Isla Mujeres during the last school year, representing just a fraction of the estimated total number of students with exceptional abilities in the region.

Ángel Iván Maza Sánchez, supervisor of Special Education for Zone 03, which covers Benito Juárez and Isla Mujeres, made the announcement during a conference about gifted children at Universidad La Salle in Cancún. He told approximately 250 teachers that officials estimate 2-3% of the student population has exceptional intellectual abilities, meaning many more children likely remain unidentified.

“This is a task we’ve just begun,” Maza Sánchez said. “I’ve been in this position for a year and seven months. Our goal is to increase the number of children identified with exceptional abilities.”

The conference, held as part of World Giftedness Day activities, began with sessions for parents and will conclude with meetings for education authorities. Officials hope to secure more resources for identifying and supporting gifted students.

The identification effort started last year focusing on intellectual abilities and has expanded this year to include creative, artistic, psychosocial, and motor skills. However, resources remain limited.

Zone 03’s Units of Service to Regular Education (Usaer) have 15 teams, each consisting of a director, six teachers, a communication specialist, a psychologist, and a social worker. These teams can only serve 98 of the more than 400 basic education schools in the area.

Maza Sánchez explained that exceptional abilities constitute a form of neurodivergence, similar to autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit disorder. Students with these abilities reach developmental milestones faster than average and require specialized support.

“But moving from recognition to implementing a classroom model has been challenging,” he continued. “There are many aspects to consider, like teacher training, human resources, alternative methodologies, and other issues.”

Untrained teachers may not recognize gifted students, and once identified, these children need specialized emotional and academic support. The Usaer teams can test children for intellectual and creative abilities to determine if they need enriched educational content or even grade acceleration.

Approximately half of the 36 identified children in Cancún and Isla Mujeres have already advanced to higher grade levels, according to officials.

Maza Sánchez emphasized that supporting gifted students represents a constitutional right under Article 3, which states education should develop students’ maximum potential. While gifted children have always existed, education systems have only recently begun recognizing their needs.

The supervisor hopes tomorrow’s meetings with education authorities will highlight the urgent need for additional resources to identify and support this vulnerable population with special educational needs.