Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (Mexico) - Student Protest Movement at Preparatoria 5 and 6 of 2005

Student Protest Movement At Preparatoria 5 and 6 of 2005

In 2005 there was a movement of student unrest in response to the perception that criminal groups known as "porros" had been allowed to operate inside the Preparatorias. The students joined with the parents association in the movement. The schools involved were Preparatoria 5 José Vasconcelos, Preparatoria 6 Antonio Caso, and Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades Azcapotzalco.

The main conflict started after an attack on a student (Diego Contreras) on November 10, 2005 at Preparatoria 6. Activists decided to occupy the high schools, in order to demand the expulsion of corrupt authorities and several criminals that actually were enrolled as students in these schools. The high schools remained occupied by the activist groups for several weeks.

In Preparatoria 6 the parents' association together with teachers confronted the authorities about the lack of action to exclude these criminal groups. They voted no confidence in the school's principal Apolonio García Sanchez. It was also in this high school that the first meeting took place with the director of Escuela Nacional Preparatoria Héctor Herrera. Students asked him for more security in the outskirts of the establishment and for the restitution of expelled activists.

Students from Preparatoria 5 demanded that the authorities of Escuela Nacional Preparatoria sign certain petitions, among them, a major control of the establishment's accesses, the resignation of several employees who were thought to support the "porros", and the expulsion of those people who struck and assaulted young students.

The academic activities continued in both establishments with the access controlled by students and elements of Auxilio UNAM (security bodies inside the institution), to avoid the entrance of "porros" so they couldn’t incur on provocations. The students announced that they would made meetings and informative brigades to present the reasons for which they maintain the protest.

After a long process of negotiations, between Students and Authorities, finally they reached several agreements: On one hand, at Preparatoria 6 authorities granted the destitution of Apolonio García Sánchez, as well as the hiring of new security elements to bring more safety, and the creation of a local security council, that would make sure the fulfillment of the agreements.

On the other hand with regards to the agreements reached in Preparatoria 5, the authorities of Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (ENP) decided the destitution of the private secretary of the director, the head of the legal office, the secretary of support to the community and the academic secretary of the vespertine turn. In addition the performance of the prefects of the establishment would be reviewed and the monitoring of the school will be reinforced. On November 22 of 2005, in a general assembly ruled by students the agreements were signed, at the same time as the high schools’ offices were given to their respective authorities