Job insecurity, one of the main challenges for teachers: Mexicans First

MEXICO CITY (apro).- In Mexico, the country where Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo wants to be remembered as “the president of education,” teachers face serious structural challenges, including base salaries so low that one in 10 is forced to look for a second job to survive.

According to figures from the civil organization Mexicanos Primero, teachers in the Mexican education system are working in adverse conditions due to the following factors:

-Job insecurity

-Administrative overload

-Gender gaps in management positions; women hold only 35% of these positions.

-Lack of infrastructure in schools; 19% of elementary and high school students lack drinking water.

-Limited connectivity affecting 58.30% of schools

Therefore, the organization asserted that "recognizing their work, valuing their role, and acting accordingly is not only fair: it is essential to guarantee the right to learn of girls, boys, and adolescents in Mexico."

According to monitoring by Mexicanos Primero, 2,153,916 teachers currently support the Mexican education system. Of these, 82% have higher education degrees related to education; however, "their working conditions do not reflect the strategic importance of their work."

With average base salaries of 7,130 pesos in preschool and 7,890 pesos in elementary school, according to the organization, one in 10 teachers is forced to seek a second job. Therefore, it asks: "With these incomes, can we speak of a decent professional salary?"

Article 3 of the Constitution and the General Education Law recognize them as "fundamental agents of the educational process" and mandate their revaluation.

However, according to the organization, "this mandate is far from being fulfilled. Educational policy has been inconsistent and unstable, with reforms that change without offering clarity or certainty to those who teach."

As an example of the volatility that undermines their professional development, she mentions the announced disappearance of the Teachers' Career System in 2024.

This measure and the aforementioned working conditions, he adds, "limit the impact of their work and, therefore, their right to learn."

The challenges

After mentioning the conditions under which the country's teachers work, the organization Mexicanos Primero warned that federal and local governments must make the following concrete commitments to improve their conditions:

• • Guarantee decent working conditions, better access to social security, fair and equitable wages, job stability, and socio-emotional well-being
• • Invest in suitable school environments, with safe infrastructure, connectivity and pedagogical resources
• • Promote their professional development with relevant training and support programs
• • Ensure transparent and stable admission, promotion, and recognition processes that value merit and commitment.
• • Support professional teacher autonomy as a basis for improving educational practices and innovation.
• • Strengthen collaborative networks between teachers, families, and communities to position the school as a central hub for educational policy.