Off the wire
• Roundup: LatAm rejoices at Colombian peace deal  • New Zealand PM rules out ransom for citizen abducted in Nigeria  • Burkina Faso self-defense groups challenge gov't  • 2nd LD Writethru: UN Security Council voices "strong opposition" to DPRK's latest missile launch  • Women continue to outnumber men in Australia: statistics  • Interview: Lebanon's party leader asserts Chinese sovereignty on South China Sea islands  • Carjacking crime jumps 80 percent in Aust'n state of Victoria  • Suu Kyi's planned trip to Myanmar refugee camp in western Thailand canceled  • Tokyo shares close slightly higher on weaker yen  • Aussie CEOs to sleep under stars for homelessness awareness  
You are here: 　 Home

Interview: Dialogue provides solution amid opposition in Mexico's educational reform

Xinhua, June 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Dialogue provides the only way out amid opposition against educational reform, according to Mexican historians Enrique Krauze and Sara Sefchovich.

Krauze said the opposition National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE) is not a major force among the approximately one million teachers in the country.

Nevertheless, dialogue is the way out when faced with a radical opposition, he said. "I am convinced that the only solution is talking with them," said Krauze.

From May 15, the CNTE began protesting in states where they have big influence, such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero and Michoacan. They are protesting against a reform enacted in 2013 requiring all teachers to take regular tests and tougher application processes.

The protests intensified over the past 10 days following the arrest of CNTE leader Ruben Nunez, who allegedly siphoned off money raised illegally from union members.

His followers blocked up to 37 highways in the southern state of Oaxaca and when the police attempted to remove one of the blockades on Sunday, it ended in a clash. Eight people died from gunshot wounds or explosive devices.

Krauze said he was against the use of force when it came to dealing with any protest.

Interviewed separately, Sefchovich agreed that dialogue is the way forward in order to end the conflict. However, she was against any violent protests by demonstrators in venting their anger.

"I'm not with the government. I don't believe that the government resolves things well. However, I also can't accept the level of violence and the absolute lack of respect given to the institutions (by CNTE)," said Sefchovich.

Oaxaca's government warned on Tuesday that the road blockades over the last month has caused a shortage of food, fuel and medicine in the state, and it also resulted in losses of 150 million Mexican pesos (8 million U.S. dollars) for local hotels.

She said it is difficult to predict whether the conflict will drag on because it seems that there are parties who do not want the crisis resolved soon. Endi