Mexico says 5.2 million dropped out of school in pandemic

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president is on a drive to convince people to send their kids back to school in September, and the government has released some frightening figures on what the effects of the pandemic have been on schoolchildren.

The Interior Department says a total of 5.2 million students did not register for classes last year, and that domestic violence increased 24% in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020, before the pandemic gained force.

Many parents in Mexico did not see much value in enrolling their kids in online classes, which have been the only option available in most states since schools closed.