Mexican Deputies Approve Education Reform, Protests Ensue Nation-Wide [VIDEO]

Amid strong mobilizations organized by teachers in the Federal District of Mexico City, the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico approved the General Law of Professional Education Service with 390 votes in favor and 69 against on Monday, September 2. This initiative will attempt to evaluate all teachers in Mexico.

According to information published in Mexican newspaper La Crónica, the measure was supported by an addendum, with almost 100 modifications that pretend to avert the evaluations becoming "punitive".

According to Mexican legislation, the General Law of Education and the Law of the National Institute for Education Evaluation (INEE) were endorsed by the Chamber of Senators on August 22, during which the Law of Professional Education Service was excluded, and will now have to be approved by the Senators.

It's worth remembering that on last December modifications to the Mexican Constitution for a new model of income, evaluation and promotion for teachers were promoted by the three dominant factions of the Chamber of Deputies: the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) , National Action Party (PAN) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

Almost immediately, the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE), denounced the measures that implement annually-evaluated contract of teachers, permanent supervision of recently-hired teachers, cancellation of contracts and discretional sanctions by the authorities, explained professor Jimena Vergara Ortega, an academic from the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the UNAM, Mexico's highest house of learning, according to website Red Política.

Likewise, teachers affiliated with the CNTE denounced that the education reforms were made without taking them into account, which is why since they have organized many protests in Mexico, focusing mainly in Mexico City since August 20.

Yesterday, PRD member Jorge de la Vega Membrillo, President of the Education Commission, assured that they included the proposals of the teachers in the document of the Law of Professional Education Service, which most of the members of the legislative organ of Mexico signed, informed Sin Embargo.

However, the leaders of the CNTE rated the approval of the Law of Professional Education Service as "high treason" and summoned a national mobilization in at least 22 states in the country, planned for Wednesday, September 4, reports CNN.