When teachers are killed

On March 31, 2011, the Perifirio Lobo led Honduran government passed a law opening its education system to privatization. The legislation had been under deliberation for a long time, and protests had been long and violent. This move was the latest in a series of legislations opening up the most basic of country’s services to private players.

The teacher’s struggle has been the strongest and the most prominent among many different struggles that together make the Resistance movement in Honduras. In most of the protests, in most of the brutal police backlashes, teachers have been in the forefront. There have probably been more teachers killed in the past two years, than there have been journalists and policemen.

The plan and structure of private education was actually worked on during the Presidency of Ricardo Maduro (2002- 2006). Maduro had the reputation of a neoliberal, and it was under him that global private corporations received the maximum Honduran encouragement. It is a sign of the awareness and solidarity within the Honduran people that despite the glamour attached to global entrance in any market, protests movements were coordinated and consolidated and the Resistance took shape at such a massive scale. Moreover, socialist Manuel Zelaya was elected in 2006.

Regardless of such immensely strong public opposition, however, the legislation did get passed. Honduras will now have private, profit- motivated schools, despite many teachers having died to prevent it.