Marx Arriaga Navarro, former general director of Educational Materials at Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), has once again stirred controversy by announcing he is selling his work tools, just a day after revealing he would put his house on the market due to financial difficulties.

On July 17, 2026, Arriaga shared on his X account a photo of a convection oven with a message explaining that the SEP has not paid his severance, forcing him to sell his equipment. He expressed hope that a fellow teacher might organize a community cooperative using the oven, quoting, “If I were hungry, I wouldn’t ask for a whole bread; I’d ask for half a bread and a book.”

This announcement follows his statement on July 16, when he revealed he had not received his severance payment for over six months and was reluctantly selling the house he built as a teacher to avoid foreclosure due to a mortgage debt.

The news reignited heated discussions on social media. While some users offered support, many criticized what they saw as a contradiction between Arriaga’s openly anti-neoliberal, Marxist-inspired rhetoric during his tenure at SEP and his current need to rely on private property sales and market mechanisms to solve his financial problems. Others defended him, emphasizing that economic hardship is not necessarily tied to political ideology and backing his demand for the severance he claims is owed.

Arriaga was a polarizing figure during the previous administration, leading the production of the Free Textbooks for the New Mexican School. His departure from SEP in February 2026 was marked by public disputes and disagreements with the institution.

As of now, the SEP has not responded to Arriaga’s claims regarding the delayed severance payment.

This episode highlights the complex realities faced by public servants and educators in Mexico, raising questions about labor rights, economic security, and the challenges of aligning political ideals with personal circumstances.