The nationwide teachers’ strike called for April 15 in Colombia once again laid bare a tension that has been building for months between the country’s teaching profession and the government of President Petro.
Although the action was announced as a 24-hour work stoppage, its impact is being felt across much of the country, with classes suspended in public schools and demonstrations in major cities, even though the school day was officially maintained.
The protest, led by the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (Fecode), the main union in the education sector, stems from an accumulation of grievances, but its immediate trigger is the crisis in the teachers’ health care system, a model recently reformed and now the subject of strong criticism from the teachers themselves.
It so happens that the new health care system for the sector was a pilot test of what the government envisioned following the potential approval of a system that never materialized in Congress, which rejected the proposals despite the pressing crisis affecting Colombia’s health care system.
The teachers’ protest continues in Colombia
The central focus of the strike revolves around shortcomings in teachers’ medical care. According to the union, the changes introduced in 2024 have not resolved structural problems and, on the contrary, have worsened the situation.
Complaints are repeated across different regions: delays in specialist appointments, interruptions in treatments, and difficulties in the delivery of medications.
The implementation of the new scheme, under Agreement 003 of the National Fund for Social Benefits of Teachers, is identified as one of the critical points. Fecode also questions the management of Fiduprevisora, the entity in charge of administering the system, which it holds responsible for the lack of guarantees in service provision.
The discontent is not limited to health care. Teachers are also demanding compliance with pending labor agreements and better benefit conditions, in a context in which they believe institutional responses have been insufficient.
A esta hora, en el Parque Nacional arranca la movilización en Bogotá, en el marco del Paro Nacional del Magisterio, 15 de abril, con amplia asistencia de docentes de Bogotá y delegaciones provenientes de diferentes departamentos. El magisterio de Colombia está en la lucha. pic.twitter.com/0Eo6VgO1Bx
— fecode (@fecode) April 15, 2026
The day had nationwide scope. From the early hours of the morning, rallies, marches, and sit-ins were reported in cities such as Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, and Bucaramanga, as well as in mid-sized capitals and municipalities.
In Bogota, one of the main centers of mobilization, teachers set out from National Park toward the headquarters of Fiduprevisora and the downtown area, causing disruptions on key corridors such as Carrera Septima.
The capital was not the only one: in Cartagena, for example, the protests included complaints about failures in medical treatments and the delivery of medications, while in other regions sit-ins were held outside administrative offices of the teachers’ health system.
The strike also had direct effects on the education system. In departments such as Atlantico, there were no classes in public institutions due to the massive participation of teachers in the mobilizations.
Authorities, for their part, deployed dialogue teams to accompany the marches and minimize risks, while recommending that citizens plan their travel in light of possible roadblocks and detours.
MAESTRAS yMAESTROS, vamos con alegría y entusiasmo a las calles, visibilicemos la profunda crisis en el derecho a la salud!
Porque la salud es vida! @fecode @hbayonar pic.twitter.com/Ppw8eb6sgF— Ruth Mariela Fernández (@rutmarielfe) April 15, 2026
A critical ally of the Petro government
The mobilization on April 15 reflects a political paradox. Fecode has historically been one of the social sectors closest to the government of President Gustavo Petro, but also one of the most demanding when it comes to the fulfillment of his promises.
That balance has become increasingly strained. Although the union maintains an affinity with the administration’s political project, it has led repeated protests to demand solutions, especially on sensitive issues such as teachers’ healthcare. As early as 2025, marches had already brought to light allegations of corruption, failures in the system’s administration, and a deterioration in the quality of service.
The backdrop is broader. Social movements that supported the current government have begun to express frustration over what they see as unmet commitments or insufficient progress in key areas. In the case of teachers, expectations of transforming the education system and improving working conditions contrast with persistent problems, leading to a stance of critical rather than unconditional support.
Wednesday’s strike does not resolve the conflict; it projects it forward. Fecode has warned that, in the absence of concrete responses, protest actions could escalate in the coming weeks.
All of this leaves the government with a twofold challenge: on the one hand, to resolve the failures of a healthcare system affecting hundreds of thousands of teachers and their families; on the other, to manage its relationship with a key ally that now acts as a barometer of social discontent within its own base.