09132016Tue
Last updateFri, 09 Sep 2016 3pm

Local kids go back to school

Chapala area schools hummed with activity this week as local students initiated studies for the 2016-2017 academic year on Monday, August 22.

Municipal officials led by Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado visited Ajijic’s Escuela Primaria Marcos Castellanos Tuesday morning to formally kick off the new school year and continue the distribution of free backpacks filled school supplies started in early July. 

The Mochilas con Utiles program, co-funded by the state and municipal governments, benefits 11,558 students enrolled in all of Chapala’s public primary and secondary schools.

After quizzing the kids on the definition of ignorance, the mayor shared memories of his own childhood, prompting giggles as he recalled how teachers used to punish lazy students by pinning donkey ears on their heads.  

According to Jalisco’s Ministry of Education 1,942,795 students are enrolled in grades K-12 this year. The academic cycle began without major incident throughout the state, aside from a short protest staged at the Guadalajara airport by a group of around 30 dissident teachers. 

Teacher unions opposed to competency testing rolled into the federal government’s educational reforms had threatened to boycott classes and impede school openings across the nation. However, problems only arose in hot spots of the conflict, such as the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas where more than 50 percent of schools remain closed due to on-going protests. 

 

 

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