Quintana Roo Teachers Protest on Teachers’ Day for Rights

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — Far from receiving recognition or participating in celebrations, thousands of teachers from Quintana Roo’s 11 municipalities took to the streets on Teachers' Day, transforming the occasion into a day of protest. Demonstrators emphasized that the date was not for festivities but for demands and resistance.

Mobilizations in Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Chetumal

From early morning, contingents gathered at three strategic points connecting to the municipal seat of Felipe Carrillo Puerto: highways from Tulum, Chetumal, and José María Morelos. The meeting point was the Benito Juárez monument, from where they marched to the Ignacio Zaragoza central park, passing by the Lázaro Cárdenas monument.

In Chetumal, another contingent, composed of members of the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE), marched with the same objective. They departed from the State Congress and proceeded to the Museum of Maya Culture, where they held a rally and reiterated their rejection of policies that have eroded their working conditions.

Demands for Pension Reform and Labor Rights

Carrying banners and chanting slogans, Quintana Roo’s teachers demanded the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE Law, which imposes an individual account system that denies access to dignified pensions. This legislation leaves education sector workers in precarious financial conditions after decades of service.

Angélica Chí, a CNTE representative, clarified that despite the mobilization, there was no general call to suspend classes. Instead, each school would decide how to join the movement, whether through partial strikes or participation outside school hours.

Teachers also reminded the public that both former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and current President Claudia Sheinbaum had promised to revert to the previous pension scheme (28 years of service for women and 30 for men), a commitment that remains unfulfilled and undiscussed.

Additional Grievances and Ongoing Resistance

Beyond pension reform, educators presented demands for improved healthcare, permanent job placements, performance incentives, and genuine policies to strengthen the education system.

“Today we are not celebrating. Today we remember that we have been ignored and that our rights have been taken away. That is why we march, that is why we remain standing,” protesters declared during the rally.

The movement remains active with a sit-in at the state Congress and representation in Mexico City, where teachers await concrete responses from the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and the presidency.