Marx Arriaga Navarro, former director of Educational Materials at SEP, has remained in his office since February 13, 2026, and claims he has not received formal dismissal notice. The Secretariat of Public Education appointed Nadia López García as his replacement on February 16, following disagreements over changes to free textbooks. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the departure stemmed from differences regarding gender topics and women's history inclusion.
On February 13, 2026, Marx Arriaga Navarro was removed from his position as director general of Educational Materials at the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), as reported by the agency. Arriaga, who had held the post since 2021, remained in his office at Avenida Universidad 1200, in Mexico City's Xoco neighborhood, for over 72 hours, demanding formal dismissal notice in accordance with labor laws. "Until they give me a document requesting my dismissal, in accordance with current labor laws, I remain in the position," Arriaga stated in interviews.
President Claudia Sheinbaum explained during her February 16 morning conference that the disagreement arose because Arriaga opposed modifications to include more women in the history sections of free textbooks. "We agreed to incorporate women into the history in the textbooks. Marx Arriaga was not in agreement with the modifications, but the textbooks are not the patrimony of one person," Sheinbaum noted. Additionally, alternative positions were offered to him, such as a consulate or embassy in a Latin American country, which Arriaga rejected, according to Education Secretary Mario Delgado.
On February 16, Mario Delgado announced the appointment of Nadia López García, a 33-year-old Oaxacan poet and pedagogue with a degree in Pedagogy from UNAM and author of 11 books translated into several languages. Under her leadership, SEP plans to reinforce recognition of women in history, incorporate more books in indigenous languages, expand accessible materials like braille and large print, and design content for indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, students in mobility situations, and multigrade schools, aligned with the New Mexican School.
Arriaga denied being barricaded and criticized the process, accusing external interests against the Fourth Transformation. The Educational Materials Directorate oversees the production and distribution of free textbooks and other educational materials, per SEP's Internal Regulations.
