What Happened

Esteban Moctezuma, the nominee for secretary of education in the next administration, said that the next government plans to amend constitutional and legal reforms that overhauled Mexico's education system in 2013. The government will hold public forums with stakeholders, such as teachers' unions, to take suggestions on how to alter the reform. Moctezuma did not specify which parts of the reform would change. The government will likely decide on the changes after the consultations are finished and when it's ready to hold a national referendum on the measures.

Why This Matters

The incoming administration will use the potential repeal or amendment of education reform as a way of cementing the National Regeneration Movement's position as Mexico's most powerful political party. Strong anti-establishment sentiment among voters propelled Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the presidency and helped give his party clear majorities in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. To secure this political power, the Lopez Obrador government will solidify its links with powerful networks that can help the new president get out the vote — such as teachers' unions. Amending education reform — which imposes evaluations on previously unaudited teachers' unions — will be key to this process. The incoming administration's focus on reinforcing its political power during its first year also reduces the likelihood that its legislative efforts will target other key reforms, such as measures targeting the 2013 overhaul of energy regulation.

Background

In 2013, the government approved constitutional changes to the country's educational system, including instituting evaluations to hold teachers accountable for poor job performance. Before then, teachers had not been subject to particularly strict performance requirements, and certain sections of teachers' unions resisted the measure. For years after the reform, branches of the unions in the states of Michoacan, Morelos and Guerrero were particularly active in resisting the evaluations through frequent, disruptive protests. Starting in 2016, Lopez Obrador made repeal or amendment of education reform a key campaign promise. 

Read More

Why More Democracy Might Mean More Disruption in Mexico (July 25, 2018)