Parents in Guerrero Plan Own Classes as Teachers' Strikes Grow Juan Montes - WSJ.com
go to original April 23, 2013

CHILPANCINGO, Mexico - Parents in Mexico's southern state of Guerrero are setting up their own classes as thousands of teachers protesting a revamp of the country's education system have closed schools and taken to the streets, in the first significant challenge to overhauls undertaken by President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Teachers in Guerrero, one of Mexico's poorest states, are defying Mr. Peña Nieto's administration by opposing the education measure signed into law in February, which for the first time requires teachers to be evaluated by an autonomous body. Those that fail the evaluation can be dismissed.

Last week, tens of thousands of teachers, some armed with metal bars and Molotov cocktails, marched in Guerrero's capital, Chilpancingo. They again blocked for hours the highway that connects Mexico City with the Pacific port of Acapulco, hurting a key economic and tourist hub. The demonstrations have been held sporadically since the overhaul bill was signed.

A protracted conflict could undermine Mr. Peña Nieto's political capital as he is seeking wide consensus for his ambitious agenda, which he put into action with the education-revamp bill just after taking office on Dec. 1. It would also raise doubts over whether the education overhaul will be fully implemented, analysts say. Government officials say the protests won't stop the changes from proceeding.

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