Mexico City – Marx Arriaga Navarro, Director General of Materials Educational at the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), was dismissed from his post on February 13, 2026, a move signaling a significant shift in the country’s educational policy, according to reports from El País and Record.
The dismissal, carried out by security personnel and capital police, was documented in a video shared by Arriaga himself, in which he questioned the order and challenged those carrying it out. The SEP characterized the removal as an administrative procedure following a change in his position to “free designation,” a claim Arriaga refuted, accusing the agency of hypocrisy and defending the free textbooks and the New Mexican School curriculum.
Arriaga was a central figure in the implementation of the New Mexican School project and the creation of the new free textbooks, a cornerstone of the previous administration’s educational reforms. These reforms aimed for a pedagogical transformation centered on “Mexican humanism,” but faced criticism from academics, specialists, and parents who viewed the changes as ideologically driven and detrimental to scientific and technical education.
During the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, public education was envisioned as a tool for social transformation, infused with the narrative of the “fourth transformation.” This political messaging permeated the content, language, and examples used in the textbooks. Critics argue that this prioritization of community-based approaches and social justice discourse came at the expense of strengthening core subjects like mathematics, science, and reading comprehension, areas where Mexico has historically lagged.
The controversy surrounding the textbooks extended beyond their content. Concerns were raised about the quality of the materials, the lack of rigorous evaluation, and the deviation from international educational standards. Even as proponents emphasized the importance of values and social justice, opponents argued that these priorities overshadowed academic rigor.
Arriaga’s removal is part of a broader pattern of personnel changes within the current administration, including the departures of Alejandro Gertz Manero, Adán Augusto López Hernández, and Diego Rivera, the mayor of Tequila. Each dismissal, while occurring under different circumstances, has been interpreted as a demonstration of political control and internal restructuring, as reported by El País.
The new administration, led by the country’s first female president, has signaled a commitment to assuming full responsibility for governance and distancing herself from decisions that generated political friction. Education, as a symbolically powerful area, is seen as a key terrain for demonstrating this shift.
While the immediate impact of Arriaga’s dismissal will not be felt during the current school year, with materials already distributed, the move opens the door for a potential technical review of the curriculum. This review could focus on strengthening science education, updating digital content, incorporating 21st-century skills, and adopting a more balanced, less ideologically driven humanistic perspective.
Any curricular adjustments will need to align with the constitutional framework reformed in 2019, which eliminated punitive evaluations but maintained the mandate for quality education. Legislators from the ruling party are unlikely to acknowledge fundamental errors, but recognize the negative public perception surrounding the textbooks represented a political cost.
There is also discussion of incorporating the historical, scientific, and cultural contributions of women more prominently into the national curriculum. If implemented with solid documentation and rigorous content, this could represent a step towards a more inclusive and robust education system.
The challenge remains to restore trust among parents, teachers, and experts, assuring them that the education system will not be subject to ideological shifts. The future of education in Mexico hinges on avoiding further political battles and prioritizing the learning needs of current and future generations. The country awaits the next steps in educational policy, with the outcome uncertain.