The Honduran government will approve a polemic law on education this week, drawn up under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to transfer the responsibility for education to municipal corporations.

According to the National Congress, the Fundamental Law on Education, opposed by thousands of teachers, will be approved on Monday or Tuesday.

Although the Constitution establishes that education is a State's responsibility, the new law says the departmental education directorates must meet the demands from schools and manage the creation of new educational centers.

Professors claim that the measure will contribute to the mercantilism of education, in addition to preventing teachers from earning fair salaries or limiting them for teachers in the poorest regions.

The law establishes that "a concentrated organ, with administrative and financial autonomy, will be created to meet the needs for physical infrastructure."

In December 2010, the Honduran government signed an Agreement with the IMF involving several sectors of the economy and society, including the Instituto de Prevision del Magisterio, which is in charge of education.

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