Mexico’s Education Secretary Reports on School Attendance and Teacher Pension Proposals
Key Points:
- 19 million students attended classes in 24 states last week, representing 92.1% of basic education students nationwide.
- Only 19,974 out of 202,184 public basic education schools suspended classes due to teachers’ protests in eight states.
- Mario Delgado Carrillo, the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), detailed salary increases for teachers proposed by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
Mario Delgado Carrillo, the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), reported that over 92% of basic education students in Mexico attended classes normally during the previous week. According to his statement, 19 million students from 24 states participated in educational activities, representing the vast majority of basic education learners nationwide.
School Attendance Details
Delgado Carrillo highlighted that 182,210 schools, or 90% of the National Educational System, did not experience suspensions due to teachers’ protests. Classes continued normally in the following states: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Campeche, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico State, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz.
However, only 19,974 out of the total 202,184 public basic education schools suspended activities due to teachers’ protests. The distribution of these school suspensions was as follows:
- 12,484 schools in Oaxaca (95.03% of the state’s schools)
- 3,388 schools in Chiapas (18.24%)
- 2,195 schools in Zacatecas (49.59%)
- 1,375 schools in Guerrero (13.27%)
- 214 schools in Chihuahua (4.08%)
- 115 schools in Yucatán (4.01%)
- 124 schools in Baja California Sur (13.79%)
- 79 schools in the Federal District (1.79%)
Delgado Carrillo reminded everyone that, on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced a 9% salary increase retroactive to January and an additional 1% starting in September.
Teacher Salary History and Proposed Pension Reform
The SEP head elaborated on the evolution of teachers’ salaries over recent administrations and compared it to the proposed pension reform by President Sheinbaum Pardo.
He explained that teachers’ salaries have significantly increased over the past five administrations:
- Vicente Fox: Average salary of 4,582 pesos
- Felipe Calderón: Average salary of 6,709 pesos
- Peña: Average salary of 9,580 pesos
- López Obrador: Average salary of 17,635 pesos
- Sheinbaum Pardo: Average salary of 18,965 pesos
Delgado Carrillo emphasized that teacher salaries now exceed the average IMSS contribution salary and surpass the general average wage for workers in the country.
He further detailed the differences between previous pension systems and Sheinbaum Pardo’s proposal for teacher recognition:
Under the ISSSTE model until 2007, a worker earning 16,000 pesos would retire with 10,560 pesos (66% of their total integrated salary) based on the base salary of the last year of work. With the solidarity system, pensions were determined based on cotization salary rather than years of service regardless of age: 30 years for men and 28 years for women.
He explained that the 2007 ISSSTE reform under Felipe Calderón’s administration changed the retirement age to 65 and transitioned from a solidarity system to individual accounts and Afores, with pensions determined by accumulated savings rather than salary:
- A teacher earning 16,000 pesos would retire with only 4,320 pesos (27% of their salary).
Additionally, the Décimo Transitorio article of the 2007 reform allowed workers to remain in the solidarity system, setting a minimum retirement age of 60 for men and 58 for women by 2028.
President Sheinbaum Pardo’s proposal aims to halt the increase in the minimum retirement age, keeping it at 58. It also caps Afores commissions to favor workers’ savings and, in 2024 during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration, established the Pension Fund for Well-being, ensuring a 100% retirement relative to the last salary.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: How many students attended classes last week? A: Over 19 million students from 24 states attended classes, representing 92.1% of basic education students nationwide.
- Q: How many schools suspended classes? A: Only 19,974 out of 202,184 public basic education schools suspended classes due to teachers’ protests in eight states.
- Q: What salary increases were announced by President Sheinbaum Pardo? A: A 9% salary increase retroactive to January and an additional 1% starting in September.
- Q: How have teacher salaries evolved over recent administrations? A: Teacher salaries have increased significantly, from an average of 4,582 pesos under Vicente Fox to 18,965 pesos under President Sheinbaum Pardo.
- Q: What are the key differences between previous pension systems and Sheinbaum Pardo’s proposal? A: The proposal aims to halt the increase in minimum retirement age, cap Afores commissions, and establish the Pension Fund for Well-being to ensure a 100% retirement relative to the last salary.
