MEXICO CITY — Public Education Secretary Aurelio Nuño Mayer lashed out at the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) and leftist politician Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) Wednesday, saying they use tactics that are “barbaric” and “unjustifiable.” According to Nuño Mayer, the CNTE, a dissident teachers union, employs tactics such as bringing young children to marches and promising students higher grades in exchange for participating in protests.
“These tactics show the level of desperation of these leaders, and it also shows their lack of concern for Mexican children,” said Nuño Mayer. “This is what AMLO is defending. What’s clear is that they just want to keep in place the old privileges, which hurt the rights of children.”
Teachers affiliated with the CNTE have been on strike since May 15, demanding a dialogue with the federal government over its educational reform program. Their mobilizations have intensified since.
AMLO, a two-time presidential candidate who is the leader of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena), published an open letter early Wednesday expressing his support for the dissident teachers and his opposition to the education reform. In his letter, López Obrador claims that the education reform will shift the costs of education to parents.
