How Childhood Values Fight Corruption in Mexico

Mexico City — Strengthening values in childhood has become the central axis of transparency policies in the country. During the recent presentation of the national program “Semilleros de la Honestidad” (Seedbeds of Honesty) in Mexico City, the head of the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Government of the State of Quintana Roo, Reyna Arceo Rosado, highlighted the importance of integrating new generations into the culture of legality. This joint effort seeks to have minors recognize integrity as a lifestyle, ensuring that social development is based on solid ethical pillars and removed from illicit practices.

Fostering Citizen Honesty

The initiative presented by the head of the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Government of Mexico, Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, establishes a pedagogical framework designed for girls, boys, and adolescents to adopt Honesty as an everyday value. The program seeks for students, through didactic tools, to understand that responsibility and integrity are fundamental for the common good. By sowing these values in childhood, the aim is to eradicate the perception that corruption is an acceptable path, always prioritizing the collective good over particular interest.

The implementation of these strategies at the federal level allows states like Quintana Roo to align their local efforts with a national vision. Honesty should not only be an official discourse but a practice observed and replicated in classrooms. Therefore, it is emphasized that ethical training is a continuous process that requires the participation of teachers, parents, and authorities, consolidating a network of citizen protection from childhood to guarantee a more transparent future.

Boosting State Ethical Education

In the regional context, the State Government has implemented concrete actions under the New Agreement for the Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo, led by Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa. The SABGOB has developed the program “Guardianes de la Honestidad” (Guardians of Honesty), which has taken Education in values directly to the primary schools of the entity. This strategy seeks for values in childhood not to be limited to the classroom but to become actions of vigilance and social oversight adapted to their age.

To date, official figures indicate that 6,730 primary-level students have been successfully trained. In addition to theoretical training, civic Education has materialized with the creation of 61 Student Vigilance Committees, where students learn the importance of supervising their environment and acting under principles of discipline and respect. These actions demonstrate that, by prioritizing values in childhood, the state builds a social base conscious of its rights and obligations regarding public administration.

Strengthening Prevention Through Participation

Head Reyna Arceo Rosado emphasized that Prevention is the most effective tool to combat bad administrative practices. By involving minors in ethical training programs, natural barriers against opacity are established. Prevention not only implies the vigilance of resources but the transformation of social consciousness. That is why linking values in childhood with the policies of the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, is fundamental to give continuity to the project of institutional transformation.

The consolidation of a culture of legality requires that Prevention be a permanent and shared effort. Quintana Roo’s commitment to ethics and citizen participation positions the entity as a reference in the formation of integral citizens. By maintaining this preventive focus, it is ensured that future generations possess the necessary tools to reject corruption, promoting shared prosperity based on social justice and the unrestricted fulfillment of the law.

“The prevention of corruption begins in education and in the formation of consciences, which is why Quintana Roo reaffirms its commitment to promote public policies that foster a culture of legality, ethics, and social participation.”

The integration of federal and state programs guarantees that the message of integrity reaches every corner of the country. Fostering ethics from basic education is a long-term investment that will transform the relationship between society and its institutions. Transparency and honesty must cease to be goals to become the foundation upon which the Mexico of the future is built.