President Claudia Sheinbaum said 800 million pesos allocated for education in Oaxaca will benefit schools and teachers rather than the CNTE [1].

The clarification comes after protests by the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE). By distinguishing between institutional funding and union payments, the administration aims to decouple educational infrastructure improvements from political concessions to labor groups.

Speaking Monday, Sheinbaum said that the funds provided by the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) are earmarked for specific systemic improvements [1]. The allocation is intended to fund the creation of new teaching positions and the repair of school infrastructure throughout the state of Oaxaca [1].

Sheinbaum said the 800 million pesos [1] are dedicated to the educational needs of the region. The president said the money is not a payment to the CNTE, despite the timing following the union's "plantón" or sit-in protests [1].

The administration's strategy focuses on direct investment in classrooms and personnel to ensure that the resources reach students and educators directly [1]. This approach seeks to address the long-standing infrastructure deficits in Oaxaca's public school system, a region that has frequently been the center of labor disputes between teachers and the federal government [1].

By specifying the destination of the funds, the president is addressing public and political concerns regarding the use of taxpayer money during labor negotiations [1]. The government said that the investment is a matter of public service and educational necessity rather than a result of union pressure [1].

“The 800 million pesos are dedicated to the educational needs of the region.”

This move allows the Sheinbaum administration to fulfill critical infrastructure needs in Oaxaca while avoiding the perception that it is capitulating to the CNTE's protest tactics. By framing the 800 million pesos as a direct investment in schools rather than a union payout, the government attempts to maintain a boundary between public education funding and political negotiations with powerful labor organizations.