Mexico City, Mexico – President Enrique Peña Nieto signed a series of controversial education bills into law on Tuesday, after the bills had been approved by both houses of Congress last week.

After approving the laws, which are opposed by the dissident National Coordinator of Education Workers, Peña Nieto called on Mexico’s teachers to study the content of the laws so that they can "feel at ease that their jobs are safe."

The law will provide more transparent regulations for Mexico’s education sector, President Peña Nieto told the media after signing the law at his Los Pinos residence, adding that the law will reward excellence and provide teachers with many new opportunities for professional development.

According to Peña Nieto, the new law will fully respect the rights of teachers as laborers. The President added that the law not only provides new obligations for teachers and teaching students, but also school administrators, as they will strengthen regulations on school management.

"With the proclamation of these laws, the legislative journey is complete, but this is just the beginning of their implementation, which will allow the state to reaffirm its authority over education," he said.

Peña Nieto went on to say that his proposed 2014 budget would allocate $1.7 billion for remodeling and maintaining Mexico’s school buildings. An additional $850 million would be used to double the number of full-time schools in Mexico — currently, most Mexican schools give classes in morning and evening shifts.