Oaxaca: Students will finally have their teachers back

After almost two weeks of demonstrations, the "dissident" Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers union (dissident in the sense that it opposes the national leadership of SNTE leader Elba Esther Gordillo), returned to the class rooms today, Monday. In one of Mexico's absolute poorest states, with educational attainment at rock bottom, the teachers left the 1.4 million or so students without a teacher for almost two weeks - all the time collecting their salary.

Yet the protests - which included the occupation of government buildings, public squares, TV and radio stations, and highway toll booths - are not yet officially over, only in "recess."

It's quite ironic that the perennial bad wolf of SNTE, appears to have accepted an obligatory evaluation program of Mexico's teachers, to be held every three years, something the Sección 22 adamantly opposes.

Oaxaca's business sectors reported losses of about 12 billion pesos so far due to Sección 22's teachers (and far from all are; many merely collect their pay yet dedicate themselves to "organizational work" such as the recent strikes) since 2006.

Also of note: Not once in the last 28 years have the teachers actually fulfilled their professional duties to teach the full 200 days per academic year.