México

Teacher’s War in Oaxaca

Mumía Abú-Jamal

02/10/2013

Opinión

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For the last decade, at least, we have seen the absolute attack on teachers, on their integrity, their devotion to their profession, and their supposed betrayal of their – our – children.

The attack comes from politicians, corporate media, and the greedy economic forces seeking to privatize the realm of public education.

This is not just a national problem; it is global, and it is the very signature of neo-liberalism.

In Mexico, tens of thousands of teachers are fighting back. In Oaxaca, those fights have taken the form of massive protests, marches, the seizure of government buildings, and organizing. Under the militant lead of CNTE (In English, the Education Workers Coordinating Committee), these workers have resisted the neo-liberal agenda, demanding that the federal government cease its interference in Mexico’s indigenous educational efforts.

In Mexico, government corruption is endemic, and, as in the US, politicians are in the full employ of privatization forces, which want to shatter and destroy the very notion of public schools. To that end, the corporate media has played a central role, using what Mexican teachers have called, a “satanization” campaign. Sound familiar?

Teacher’s union activists in Oaxaca and elsewhere in Mexico are in a fighting mood.

Marcus Arellanes of Oaxaca’s Section 22 of the union gave his voice to grassroots teachers throughout Mexico….

In a recent interview, Arellanes said,

“…. [T]he government plans to standardize everything through policies of alignment, control and subjugation. They have approved initiatives and the use of the state power structure to pass laws by using government repression…and that’s why we’re here today, to oppose the repression suffered by the comrades who marched in support of the CNTE…But we’re going to confront this disgraceful government that seeks to impose conditions designed by international bodies to privatize, control, take away the

responsibility for education and turn it over to the private sector, you see?”*

Arellanes explains that, through changes of Mexico’s Constitution, Article 73, the government has essentially jettisoned the state’s responsibility for education, and opened the door to corporate financial support. Imagine – education, brought to you by Coca-Cola!

The struggle in Oaxaca has attracted support from thousands of teachers, students, parents and other organizations, all opposed to this privatization scheme.

The battle, still ongoing, has just begun.

https://www.alainet.org/es/node/79803