Within two decades, Mexico plans to have all of its students speaking English, in order to make the population more competitive in the global economy.

Education Secretary, Aurelio Nuño, said this week that he expects every school in the country to have an English teacher within the next 10 years. His long-term goal is to have all teachers fluent in English and Spanish.

The new model has had input from teachers, parents, and representatives of business and private citizens, who contributed with over 300,000 observations. English classes would be provided for students from elementary school through to high school under the new plan.

Mexico’s education system has been undergoing an overhaul since President Enrique Peña Nieto began his term four years ago. This English plan is part of that continued restructuring.

Javier Treviño Cantú, an undersecretary in the Education Secretariat, explained the department’s focus during the announcement in Mexico City this week.

“We focus on key skills, like communication in [the student’s] mother tongue, Spanish and English; mathematical thinking and the exploration of the natural and social world, along with civic and ethical academic training.”

“This will be complemented with the development of social and emotional skills, and a strengthening of physical and artistic education,” continued Treviño.

The Education Ministry has also stated that it will allow schools to choose 20% of their curriculum. As of last year, the Ministry also allowed schools to choose the length of the school year based on local conditions.

“For almost 20 years, parents have heard about English and computers, and no plan has worked. That’s the truth,” said the education secretary, stating that the current proposal has more specific goals and benchmarks.

“The first step is that they are bilingual,” he said. “If we do that, we will be halfway down the road.”