Former education official Marx Arriaga ended a four-day standoff with authorities Tuesday, leaving the headquarters of Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) after signing his dismissal papers. The move follows a dispute over proposed changes to the country’s school textbooks, highlighting tensions within the current administration regarding curriculum content.
Arriaga, the architect of the free textbooks used in the “Nueva Escuela Mexicana” (New Mexican School) program, was accompanied by supporters chanting “You are not alone” as he walked from the SEP building to a nearby subway station. Prior to his departure, he spoke with reporters inside his office, which was in the process of being cleared out.
According to reports, the disagreement stemmed from a request from President Claudia Sheinbaum’s office to include the role of women in history within the textbooks. Arriaga, however, refused the modifications, stating they did not originate with the president but from within the SEP. “I assume responsibilities,” he told reporters, “but accept changes that don’t come from the president.”
As movers carried out furniture and personal belongings, Arriaga finalized paperwork related to temporary workers’ salaries, emphasizing the importance of ensuring they received their pay. “I didn’t sleep well. There’s some anxiety. I’m a little tired, but it’s significant to sign these appointments for the workers by honorarium. If this isn’t done, the colleagues won’t be able to collect their salaries,” he said.
A colleague, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted accompanying Arriaga on regional consultations during the textbook design process. The colleague expressed little surprise at Arriaga’s decision to remain in the office for days, but added, “Everyone who works in government knows this is a cycle, and that cycle ends.”
Arriaga maintained throughout the standoff that his actions were not a personal rebellion. “This is not a matter of whim,” he said. He added that he would return to teaching if the new administration pursued a different educational path. “I am a teacher, I am a professor, and my struggle is pedagogical, not for a position. If the new management has another educational idea, I will return to training teachers in the interior, in the classrooms. Nothing happens.”
Nadia López García was announced as Arriaga’s replacement Monday, and is set to take over the position he held for more than five years. Arriaga stated he did not understand López García personally, characterizing the appointment as an administrative decision. The future of the “Nueva Escuela Mexicana” remains uncertain under the new leadership.
President Claudia Sheinbaum stated Tuesday that Arriaga had done “an extraordinary job” with the textbook content, according to reports. Arriaga acknowledged Sheinbaum’s support, recalling that she was a key ally during the most challenging moments of the process. “She carries the country on her shoulders today and is fighting to respect workers, the Mexican people, and their economy. That is not effortless,” he said.
Sheinbaum explained that the dismissal occurred after Arriaga disagreed with proposed modifications to the textbooks. “He did not agree that there would be any modification to the books. So, there was a first disagreement, so to speak. Faced with this situation, other options were offered to him,” she said. Arriaga indicated he was unaware of any alternative job offers beyond what has been reported in the media.
Regarding the proposed changes, Arriaga expressed his opposition, claiming they were initiated by areas within the SEP with a “neoliberal” vision. He alleged these areas had even signed contracts with companies like Coca-Cola, LEGO, and Bimbo. He also stated the proposed changes would have represented a setback for the educational model, specifically affecting content related to historical memory, including the 1968 massacre, enforced disappearances, and the killings in Ayotzinapa, Aguas Blancas, and Acteal – events he described as “systemic violence of the State against dissidents.”
Another anonymous colleague who remained with Arriaga during the four-day standoff described the final moments of his tenure. “We are waiting for the document to arrive. We continue working; we are doing work like insurgent bonfires – circles of study – and content review.” The colleague, who recently renewed their contract, is awaiting instructions from the new director. Regarding Arriaga, they said, “Since I’ve known him, he has been a person attached to his ideals. I see him combative as I have always seen him, that’s why I work with him. It motivates me to want to be like that.” The colleague also dismissed reports of misconduct and requests for payments from the office as “an invention,” stating, “We promised not to steal and not to betray, as former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.”
