Quintana Roo Schools Reopen Amid Striking Teachers’ Victory

Following a prolonged teachers' strike in Mexico and Quintana Roo, state education authorities announced the resumption of classes in 337 educational institutions across preschool, primary, and secondary levels on Tuesday, March 25. The strike was a response to a proposed reform to the ISSSTE Law. The authorities confirmed that in-person classes have been gradually restarting across the 11 municipalities of Quintana Roo, with 25.38% of the state's 1,802 campuses now back in operation.

This partial reopening comes in the wake of Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, announcing the withdrawal of the controversial ISSSTE Law reform and the suspension of Fovissste credits. Since Monday, March 24, teachers in municipalities including Benito Juarez, Solidaridad, Lázaro Cárdenas, Cozumel, and Othón P. Blanco have returned to their classrooms.

Xavier Méndez, a spokesperson for the Committee, acknowledged the president's withdrawal of the reform as a significant victory. However, he emphasized that the teaching body continues to fight for concrete responses to their demands. "The reform's withdrawal is a great achievement, but there are points in our demands that still need to be addressed for the benefit of the workforce," he stated.

In an effort to make up for lost time, some teachers have started assigning work to their students to offset the educational backlog, which has already extended for over a month. However, not all schools are back to normal operations, and some teachers have expressed concerns about the lack of clear information regarding the return to school. As a result, a sense of uncertainty persists within Quintana Roo's educational community, while teachers and the government continue to negotiate terms for a complete return to classrooms.