Teacher's Day: Why is it celebrated on May 15 in Mexico City

Teachers' Day in Mexico City May 15. Date commemorating the work done by teachers in schools. Generally, the Mexican government decides to give a day of rest to the teachers on the occasion of the celebration.

The commemoration has been taking place since 1918. A year before the Mexican President of the time, Venustiano Carranza, signed the decree setting the date on which he would be appointed official to honor the country's educators.

This decision was made because, previously, two deputies, Benito Ramírez and Enrique Viesca, had introduced the initiative. PThey learned that it was necessary to find a way for the whole country to thank the teachers for the work that they have accomplished.

The day was fixed because it coincided with the capture of Querétaro in 1867., in which the Republican army entered the city and managed to capture the Spanish Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg and his followers.

Carranza, a politician and military man who later participated in the Revolution, according to his ideals, thought it was a date not to be forgotten because of its importance to the country.

In addition, the day also coincided with another date more related to education. On May 15, Pope Pius XII ratified St. John Baptist de La Salle as the universal patron of all educators.

The appointment was because San Juan Bautista, A theologian and pedagogue, he has devoted his entire life to preparing teachers to teach the children of artisans and marginalized children who do not have access to education.

He also founded the Congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schoolswhere, although being religious founders, secular education was taught to orphans and low-income people.

May 15 was therefore ideal for commemorating Mexican teachers. Although in 1993 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established that the day of the celebration of teachers around the world should be May 15.

In Mexico, until 2018, there were 2 million 66,000 teachers in the national education system, according to data from the Ministry of Public Education. Of these, 4.9% worked less than 14 hours a week, 54.30% worked 14 to 34 hours, 38.10% worked 35 to 48 hours, 2.70% worked more than 48 hours.