Teachers at the General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río Institute of Higher Teacher Training (IESEN) in Lerdo, Durango, demanded federal government intervention to resolve the work stoppage and suspension of classes that has been ongoing for two weeks at the school due to alleged irregularities by the director.
Teacher Sheila Martínez stated that two weeks ago they held a three-day work stoppage after learning of the irregular allocation of teaching hours by the director, Lucía Hernández de la Fuente. In retaliation, four teachers and a secretary were suspended. In response to the suspensions, students at the teachers’ college occupied and closed the school.
According to Martínez, since the director was appointed three years ago by Governor Esteban Villegas, irregularities have been occurring, such as the hiring of a lawyer not listed on the organizational chart, the allocation of teaching hours to individuals affiliated with the teachers’ union, and the appointment of someone who does not meet the required qualifications. However, it wasn’t until a year ago, when a colleague passed away and, according to the bylaws, half of the teaching hours had to be assigned to a family member and the other half to a competitive process, that the complaints intensified.
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“For us, the only way to advance professionally is when a teacher dies or retires; then there’s a competitive process, that’s how it is in all the teacher training colleges in the country. We started pointing out those hours until we were told no,” she explained.
This was initially the reason for a work stoppage two weeks ago, but the following Monday, the director’s lawyer arrived and announced that the four teachers and the secretary were fired, without any paperwork.
“The district secretary contacted us and was told that we were suspended due to a complaint of organized crime. We should have been suspended, they’ve already suspended our salaries, and there’s no explanation, no one has even spoken to us,” Sheila Martínez commented.
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She recounted that the lawyer, a security guard, and a legal representative removed them from the classrooms, and all the students witnessed it. That’s why the occupation of the school began.
Teacher Sheila Martínez mentioned that the problems have been ongoing for some time, noting that students have also reported threats and intimidation from the principal. She even said that in May they had a meeting with the Secretary of Education of Durango, Guillermo Adame, which they were not allowed to attend with cell phones.
“He told us no, that nothing would be done, that the school belonged to him; ‘it’s mine,’ he said. He gave the principal a space where he projected our personal Facebook pages and what we were posting.”
The “General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río” Normal School in Lerdo has a 52-year history and a current student population of approximately one thousand. According to the teacher, the union hasn’t supported them either, so they requested the support of the President of the Republic. “We want this to go beyond the state level, that’s why we’re making this demand,” Sheila Martínez emphasized.
Source: msn
