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AS TIME GOES BY José Vasconcelos
2. The Library Department,
whose objective was
to guarantee reading
materials to support
education at all levels.
3. The Fine Arts
Department, to
integrate all the
artistic activities that
complement education.

With the passage of time,
other departments were
created in order to
resolve more specific
problems, like indigenous
education, literacy
campaigns, etc.

With these ideas, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP,
using the first letter of each word in Spanish) was created on
September 25 , 1921. Four days later, the corresponding
th
decree was published in the Official Diary.
On October 12th of the same year, Vasconcelos assumed
the direction of the new Secretariat.

In the beginning, the activity of the Secretariat of Public
Education was characterized by its amplitude and intensity:
organization of courses, opening new schools, edition of
books and the foundation of libraries. These measures,
together, strengthened a national education project which
also drew upon the best traditions of universal culture.
From 1919 to 1921, the number of elementary school
teachers increased from 9,560 to 25,312, which means a rise
of 164.7 per cent. There were 35 preparatory schools, 12 law
schools, 7 schools for allopathic medicine, 1 school for
homeopathic medicine, 4 schools for obstetrics teachers, 1
dental school, 6 engineering schools, 3 nursing schools, 2

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