The secretary general of Section 32 of the SNTE, Daniel Covarrubias López, confirmed that at least 20 teachers were threatened by alleged members of criminal groups in mountainous areas of Veracruz, mainly in the mountainous region, Orizaba, and Ilamatlán.
The cases prompted the activation of reporting, protection, and relocation protocols, while the union warned that insecurity is now directly affecting school operations in rural communities.
He specified that in Ilamatlán, the problems are related to landslides and rain, but in other regions of the state, the problems were caused by threats and extortion, or “protection payments,” which is why he said they have urged teachers to file complaints so they can receive support.
Covarrubias explained that teachers reported direct threats, requiring the formal protocol to be initiated: filing a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office, submitting the case file to the Veracruz Secretariat of Education (SEV), and opening working meetings to determine whether relocation is appropriate. “Around twenty teachers have filed complaints,” he stated, although he stressed that only the authorities can determine the level of risk and the appropriate protection measures.
The union leader explained that, in addition to the insecurity cases, there is a significant number of teachers under protection due to social conflicts in communities, which puts additional pressure on coverage at schools that already face staff shortages. These workers remain at school supervisory offices while their relocation is determined because, he said, “the most important thing is to guarantee educational services.”
Covarrubias recalled that the state has historically faced a shortage of more than eleven thousand teaching hours, although he said the figure “is already declining” with the arrival of a new head of the Veracruz Secretariat of Education, with whom, he stated, there is “a different atmosphere” for addressing pending issues.
The union is preparing a formal assessment to determine how many hours remain to be assigned and in which regions coverage gaps persist.
The teachers’ leader insisted that insecurity, relocations, and the shortage of classroom teachers constitute a critical three-front challenge for the beginning of the school year in Veracruz.
He warned that the union will continue monitoring the processes of reporting, protection, and staff assignment, considering that educational operations in mountainous areas require “certainty, security, and teachers in the classroom.”
Source: excelsior
