Translated by Rhiannon Nicolson
This Monday saw an incident-free return to classes in the state of Oaxaca, despite predictions of confrontations between parents and teachers of Section 22 of the Mexican National Union of Educational Workers (SNTE) in at least 42 different towns and villages.
After striking for more than 38 working days, teachers returned to classes, during which time, according to the State Institute for Public Education of Oaxaca (IEEPO) 43 schools have been run by parents, and teachers from Section 59 of the SNTE have been giving classes.
The secretary for Section 22, Francisco Villalobos Ricárdez, stressed that they are aiming to recover the buildings by establishing a dialogue, and with the support of a committee on which both the IEEPO and the Secretariat for Education in Oaxaca participate.
He assured that Section 22, an adherent to the National Coordinating Committee of Education Workers (CNTE), won’t give up on a single school and will insists that
“nobody is in favor of confrontation with parents.”Governor Gabino Cué Monteagudo said that the return to classes was peaceful in the approximately 13 thousand schools run by the state, and considered it vital that the 42 school buildings currently in the hands of parents be retaken by teachers of Section 22, as the only teachers permitted to give classes are those supplied by the IEEPO.
He noted that
“in those schools where teachers have recently been recruited, we need to review the reasons why we didn’t hire them ourselves”, and the reasons why “there is no formal working relationship” with said individuals.The governor stressed that no-one will receive a salary if they do not have a contract with the IEEPO. He stated that bonuses for starting the new academic year ranging from between 400 and 1,500 pesos [$30 to $150US] were paid last Saturday, which he justified by arguing that many teachers did not have the financial resources to return to their communities.
The director of IEEPO, Antonio Iturribarría, and Villalobos Ricárdez stated that on Monday teachers from Section 22 began to receive their semi-monthly pay, dating back to the second half of August.
One of the most worrisome aspects for the government was the Flores Magón Brothers elementary school [named for famous, Oaxacan revolutionaries], in the municipality of San Jacinto Amilpas, where parents decided to commence the school year with teachers from Section 59 two weeks ago. State police forces monitored the school while parents obstructed the roads around the community with stones and ropes tied between street signs.
In the Guadalupe Hidalgo subdivision, in the municipality of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, teachers from Section 22 attempted to enter the Lázaro Cardenas elementary school, but parents blocked the entrance.
“Don’t be fooled,” said one teacher “You can teach the classes but it's going to be a long time until the papers are graded.”Despite negotiations, the parents stuck to their decision to not allow teachers from Section 22 to enter.
In Tlalixtac de Cabrera, parents attempted to get teachers from the municipality’s seven schools to sign a statement promising to never strike again. The teachers refused and argued that their leaders should be the ones to sign the agreement. In Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, parents of the Monte Albán elementary school, along with teachers from Section 59 retained control of the school and have been carrying out night patrols to defend the building since last week. The parents issued a warning to the teachers of Section 22:
“We don’t want you here anymore.”Spanish original