Growing Pressure on the Federal Government
The Mexican federal government is facing mounting pressure in the education sector, marked by a breakdown in negotiations with students from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and the launch of an indefinite strike by the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE).
According to a statement released by the IPN student body on June 2, the federal government failed to meet its commitment to provide a formal response to their list of demands. Students reported that on May 27, no representatives from the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the Ministry of Finance (SHCP), the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), or the Office of the President attended the meeting scheduled to address their grievances.
Student Demands for Transparency
The student movement, which currently has six schools on indefinite strike with others participating in protests, rejected a draft response provided by the SEP on May 24. The students described the document as lacking concrete solutions to what they view as an institutional crisis that neither the IPN General Directorate nor the federal government is willing to acknowledge.
Polytechnic students are demanding that all future negotiations be held publicly, broadcast live, and include direct representation from the community. Their demands include budget transparency, institutional reforms, and accountability regarding the use of funds linked to the 'Corazón Guinda y Blanco' foundation, as well as potential sanctions against those who formed the civil association.
The CNTE Standoff
Simultaneously, the SEP is working to contain the teachers' union conflict. In coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and the ISSSTE, the department has formally invited the CNTE national commission to a working session scheduled for this Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the Bucareli building.
Secretary of Education Mario Delgado announced via X that the goal of the meeting is to build agreements “in favor of the teaching profession” and keep negotiation channels open. This call comes in response to the indefinite strike launched Monday by the CNTE, which is demanding the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE Law, the elimination of the individual pension account system, and a return to a collective retirement scheme.
The CNTE maintains that it will continue its protests until it receives satisfactory responses to its demands. As teacher contingents gather for their National Representative Assembly to determine their next steps, IPN students have reiterated that they will sustain their movement until the federal government addresses their demands in a public and decisive manner.
