Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum defended the new Mexican school system and its textbooks, clarifying that many had mistakenly believed the books would be discontinued. She noted that teachers are demanding guides for the textbooks, always under the principle of academic freedom. Sheinbaum confirmed that the departure of the head of textbooks at the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), Marx Arriaga, was primarily due to disagreements over their content, although she disapproved of how his exit was handled. She concluded with a message: "Textbooks are not the property of one person." This explanation comes amid government reports of more complex reasons for his departure, linked to Arriaga's connections with businessman Alex Saab, who is tied to the Chavista government and creates an uncomfortable link for the 'Fourth Transformation' (4T) amid high tension with the United States. Amid the scandal, the president also stated she disagreed with how the SEP official was notified of his departure but provided no further details on the case's current status or Arriaga's future. She also mentioned a new initiative to incorporate women into the curriculum. Arriaga's link to Alex Saab, the key to his exit from the Secretariat of Education. "Marx Arriaga was against any modifications to the textbooks," Sheinbaum stated. "Textbooks are perfectible," the president repeated several times when questioned about the case during her morning press conference this Monday. "That was the first point of disagreement," Sheinbaum explained, adding that she proposed offering him several options, including a consular post, in recognition of Arriaga's service.
