El Mérito y el Esfuerzo como Mito Fundacional del Sistema Educativo

A set of myths has historically underpinned the collective imagination surrounding education. While these have always been present, the rise of new forms of digital communication has facilitated their generation and dissemination to an unprecedented extent. This article offers a critical examination of the persistence of the meritocratic ideal within contemporary educational systems, challenging the assumption that individual effort and talent constitute the decisive determinants of academic achievement. Drawing on a multidisciplinary framework, it develops a theoretical and documentary essay grounded in a critical review of academic literature and recent international reports. The analytical strategy combines a conceptual deconstruction of core notions—merit, effort, equality of opportunity, and structural inequality—with a comparative assessment of perspectives that either legitimize or contest the meritocratic narrative. Empirical evidence contributes insights that compel a reconsideration of educational trajectories in light of pre-existing inequalities, thereby underscoring the urgency of implementing predistributive and compensatory policy measures. The article concludes that cultural adherence to the discourse of merit represents a significant obstacle to social justice and argues for the advancement of educational frameworks rooted in cooperation, equity, and the recognition of the intrinsic worth of every individual.