MEXICO CITY: A Mexican union representing thousands of striking teachers announced Monday that they will return to their schools after protests that left 1.3 million children without class for almost two months.
On strike since the school year began on August 19, the dissident CNTE union said in a statement that teachers from the southern state of Oaxaca will return to work in some 13,500 schools on October 14.
Teachers from Oaxaca and other states have taken part in several protests in Mexico City over the past two months in a failed bid to derail an education reform championed by President Enrique Pena Nieto.
The protesters caused major traffic jams in the congested megalopolis, blocked access to the international airport and managed to prevent lawmakers from attending a session of Congress.
The teachers camped out in the city's historic Zocalo square for weeks until riot police dislodged them last month.
They moved their camp to the Revolution Monument and the CNTE said "a large number" of teachers from Oaxaca would remain there while others resume work.
Congress gave final approval last month to an education law that strips union power over education and requires teachers to undergo regular performance evaluations in order to gain jobs and promotions.
But the CNTE argues the reform violates their labor rights and the standardized tests fail to take into account different work conditions in impoverished states where many teach in makeshift classrooms to non-native Spanish speakers.
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