Mexican State Mandates English

Tamaulipas officials want it to be the first bilingual state in Mexico.

"Our efforts are aimed at preparing students for a more competitive world filled with technology and English," governor Eugenio Hernandez said at a ceremony formally inaugurating the program. "Let's face it. The world speaks English. And even if you can only speak a little, you can defend yourself and compete."

The Tamaulipas effort is one of several under way in Mexico - from Mexico City to the Texas border states of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon - to teach students and business leaders English. Tamaulipas, however, represents the biggest experiment.

One of four Mexican states abutting Texas, Tamaulipas shares a long border with the Lone Star state. Annually, millions cross the border on foot or by car to shop, work or play. Overall, more than 50% of all US-Mexico trade crosses through Tamaulipas and Texas.

The top industries are agriculture, foreign-owned manufacturing companies, fishing, ports and petrochemicals. Because of its geography and proximity to Texas, the state also has long been a magnet to drug traffickers and to the violence they unleash.

Hernandez and the federal government are currently injecting millions of dollars to build up the state's infrastructure along the Gulf Coast in hopes of turning the area into a beach gateway for Americans who either want to visit or live.

"We have the tools and resources to rival Padre Island," he said, referring to the South Texas resort island popular with both Americans and Mexicans.

To serve those potential American tourists, Hernandez and educators say, Tamaulipas students must learn English. Hernandez said he hopes the classes will become a permanent part of the school curriculum by fall semester. He's working with the teachers union to permanently hire the teachers.