Students from the Vasco de Quiroga teacher training college in Tiripetío, Michoacán, hijacked at least 10 vehicles on the Morelia-Pátzcuaro highway on Friday morning.

Armed with machetes and sticks, the students blocked the highway near the Tiripetío school, about 25 kilometers from Morelia.

The hijacked vehicles included buses and cargo trucks, according to state police. Presumably they were to carry students to Morelia for a demonstration demanding funds for their school.

The students forced passengers to get off the buses and find another way to reach their destination.

State police tried to approach the students, but the latter repelled them by throwing rocks.

After seizing the vehicles, the students took them to the Tiripetío school.

Students at rural teaching colleges in México state and Puebla also hijacked buses this week. The students have similar demands of state and federal governments, which include scholarships, better funding for the schools and automatic job placement after graduation.

According to sources in the Michoacán state government, the CNTE teachers’ union is behind the hijackings.

Source: El Financiero (sp), La Jornada (sp), Eje Central (sp)