**Parents Occupy Tijuana’s Education Department Over Teacher Shortages**
In response to a growing concern over the lack of educators, parents from the General Guadalupe Victoria Primary School in Tijuana have taken a stand by occupying the premises of the city’s Education Department. Their protest specifically targets the shortage of fifth-grade teachers. As demonstrators block the entrance, they vocally demand, “We need teachers,” allowing only the exit of the department’s personnel while preventing new entries.
Abimael Ramos, a representative of the group of parents, expressed frustration about the unfulfilled promises made by educational authorities. Despite prior protests in October and assurances from officials that the teaching vacancies would be filled before month’s end, the situation remains unresolved. The parents are anxious about their children falling behind academically as the first trimester concludes with no sign of additional educators.
State education authorities have acknowledged the gravity of the situation, with Luis Gallegos Cortez, the head of the state’s Education Department, noting that about 2,000 teachers are urgently needed to meet the demands of the current student population across the region. Despite plans to address this shortage in the latter half of October, progress has been slow.
Currently, parents have taken control of 18 schools in Tijuana, underscoring a widespread issue affecting the educational framework in Baja California.
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**Secondary Article: Tijuana Teachers Protest Over Delayed Payments**
In tandem with the parents’ demonstrations, teachers in Tijuana have launched protests of their own, demanding overdue payments from the Education System. This additional protest has seen teachers camped outside key educational offices, voicing their grievances and threatening to join a larger strike if the issue remains unresolved.
The unrest among teachers is accentuated by the ongoing labor strike initiated by secondary education employees, which aims to pressurize the government to fulfill its financial commitments to educational staff. The strike action has further highlighted the challenges in the educational sector, which faces not only teacher shortages but also significant financial management issues.
This dire situation in Tijuana’s educational landscape calls for an urgent intervention from state authorities to both resolve the educational personnel shortfalls and maintain timely and fair compensation for teachers. As these issues persist, school communities are rallying to ensure that their concerns are heard and addressed promptly.