The Country That Stopped Reading
A woman looks at children's books during the XXXIV International Book Fair of 'Palacio de Mineria', organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Mexico City, on February 25, 2013. The International Book Fair runs from February 20 to March 4. AFP PHOTO/Ronaldo Schemidt (Photo credit should read Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman looks at children's books during the XXXIV International Book Fair of 'Palacio de Mineria', organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Mexico City, on February 25, 2013. The International Book Fair runs from February 20 to March 4. AFP PHOTO/Ronaldo Schemidt (Photo credit should read Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

EARLIER this week, I spotted, among the job listings in the newspaper Reforma, an ad from a restaurant in Mexico City looking to hire dishwashers. The requirement: a secondary school diploma.

Years ago, school was not for everyone. Classrooms were places for discipline, study. Teachers were respected figures. Parents actually gave them permission to punish their children by slapping them or tugging their ears. But at least in those days, schools aimed to offer a more dignified life.

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