Chihuahua teachers protest over shortage of permanent job vacancies

Graduates from the Ricardo Flores Magón Rural Normal School in Saucillo have entered their third day of protests in Chihuahua, blocking major streets in the capital to demand permanent teaching positions. The demonstrators are protesting the current allocation of job vacancies, alleging that the government is offering fewer permanent roles than are actually available.

Francisco Hugo Gutiérrez Dávila, Secretary of Education and Sport (SEyD), attributed the scarcity of permanent positions to a decline in student enrollment. He reported that basic education enrollment dropped from 679,965 students in the 2025-2026 cycle to 632,169 in the current cycle, a reduction of over 47,000 students. This demographic shift has resulted in a higher proportion of temporary roles compared to permanent ones.

For the current admission process, officials noted that out of 3,103 applicants for preschool and primary levels, only a small fraction of positions are permanent. Specifically, there are only two permanent preschool vacancies for 790 applicants and 12 permanent primary vacancies for 2,514 applicants. While the SEyD has paused the process to establish a dialogue table, protesters claim they have not yet reached an agreement with authorities.