Intervention of the Ombudsman’s Office due to alleged irregularities in the admission process
The Ombudsman for the Human Rights of the People of Oaxaca (DDHPO) has issued an urgent resolution through the implementation of precautionary measures aimed at protecting the academic rights of around twenty aspiring teachers for a teaching career. The autonomous body formally and in writing ordered the State Institute of Public Education of Oaxaca (IEEPO) to immediately and unconditionally guarantee the registration of these young people in the corresponding normal education institutions.
The origin of this intervention dates back to the entrance evaluation process carried out on July 5, specifically at the Escuela Normal Urbana Federal del Istmo (ENUFI), located in Ciudad Ixtepec, as well as in other normal schools in the state. The results of these evaluations were validated and officially published just three days later, on July 8. However, in a subsequent decision that generated great controversy, access was denied to applicants who had obtained the most outstanding grades in the exams, both for the degree in Primary Education and for Preschool Education.
Legal framework and specific actions of the Ombudsman’s Office
The formal request for urgent protection measures was addressed to the head of the IEEPO, Mr. Emilio Montero Pérez, through the official letter with code DDHPO/PDE/6326/2025, dated September 1 of this year. This document was signed by the Director of the First Specialized Ombudsman’s Office of the DDHPO, José Antonio Álvarez Hernández. This communication is part of the complaint file identified as 1193 (01) OAX/2025 and its accumulated files.
The basis of the resolution is based on the alleged violation of the fundamental right to education and the principle of meritocracy. The DDHPO determined that there were sufficient elements to consider that the affected applicants were in a situation of vulnerability and risk of seeing their constitutional rights irreparably undermined. The order issued is clear and specific: the director of the IEEPO must immediately instruct the directors of all the normal schools involved to proceed to enroll the students who obtained the best achievement averages during the admission exam.
A crucial aspect of the measures, and which reflects the in-depth analysis of the situation by the Ombudsman’s Office, is the express stipulation that the registration of these applicants should not generate a movement in the ranks that affects other students who had already been previously admitted. This implies that the IEEPO must find a solution that does not violate the rights of any student, possibly expanding the reception capacity of the institutions. Likewise, the DDHPO orders the educational authorities to be guarantors of the physical and moral integrity of the young beneficiaries, ensuring that during their stay as normal students they will not be subject to reprisals, harassment, attacks or acts of discrimination of any kind.
Social context and public demonstration
The tension generated by this case transcended the administrative sphere and manifested itself on public roads. During the morning of Monday, September 1, relatives and parents of the affected candidates carried out a peaceful protest that included blocking the state highway for approximately two and a half hours. Their demand was clear and direct: to demand that justice be done and that their children be allowed to enter the ENUFI, who, despite having achieved excellence averages above nine in the admission exam, were inexplicably excluded from the registration process.
This protest action made visible the frustration and the perception of opacity in the process, exerting additional social pressure that culminated in the intervention of the human rights defense organization. The issuance of precautionary measures by the DDHPO represents an essential legal mechanism for the protection of human rights in Mexico, acting as a rapid and effective instrument to prevent irreparable damage while a complaint process is thoroughly investigated and definitively resolved.
This case sets a significant precedent in terms of transparency and justice in the admission processes to higher education in Oaxaca, underlining the obligation of public institutions to act with equity, accountability and strict adherence to the principles of legality and educational justice.
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