Many Mexican Schools Have No Bathrooms, Failing Teachers

Mexicans are getting shocking news about their public schools, 11 percent of which don't even have bathrooms.

That figure rises to almost one-third in poor states like Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas, Education Secretary Aurelio Nuno said Tuesday.

Nuno also gave details on how the government plans to handle the relatively poor showing on the nation's first round of teacher evaluations.

About 24 percent of teachers tested at grade schools and middle schools either failed teacher evaluation tests or didn't show up for testing.

The Education Department says the teachers who failed will be given another try.

But Nuno said Tuesday 3,360 teachers who didn't show up twice for testing have now been fired. Because of protests organized by radical teachers' unions, some teachers didn't show up once, but will be presumably be given another chance.

But Nuno said all 3,360 who didn't show up after two invitations are now considered fired without severance pay. He pledged their jobs will be filled by tested applicants as soon as possible.

About 45 percent of the approximately 146,000 teachers tested got good or excellent ratings. The rest got adequate scores.

Mexican public schools are poorly funded, and teachers' unions often control hiring and firing.

Many teachers in Mexico's under-performing schools have essentially inherited their posts. The mandatory teacher evaluations were introduced under a 2013 education reform aimed to combat such ills.