Education reform will not be negotiated: EPN

President Enrique Peña Nieto said that the government will not negotiate the education reform or any other law.

At a press conference in Canada, President Peña Nieto said that his government has always been open to dialogue and to defuse tensions that cause violence, disorder and chaos in some parts of the country.

He added that the government "deeply regrets" the loss of human lives in the "differences" arising from the implementation of the education reform and that an investigation with the participation of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has been ordered to determine what happened in Noxichtlán, Oaxaca on June 19.

"I want to say that this is not the first time that the State has had to resort to public force to maintain order and social tranquility; unfortunately this triggered the incident in Oaxaca a week ago that ended in human losses. Those responsible should be punished,” he added.

President Peña Nieto added that at the center of the debate should be why the education reform was made and why it achieved such a level of consensus and support among the main political forces.

"It was achieved because we realized that if we do not prepare Mexican children and youth to be better trained they are unlikely to have an encouraging and promising future and the opportunity to enter the labor market, a market that is part of this globalization and requires greater capacity,” he explained.

The President added that the education reform offers significant benefits to educators by rewarding and acknowledging the merits of each teacher, putting schools at the center of the reform so that students have adequate classrooms and also pays special attention to the educational content that students should receive.

He hoped that the dialogue between the Interior Ministry and the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE) gets peace restored in the south of the country.