Cuban Minister of Education Naima Ariatne Trujillo has announced that more than 1.4 million students will begin the 2026-2027 school year on Tuesday, September 1st, despite the complex national situation exacerbated by the blockade.
Speaking on the prime-time television program Mesa Redonda Friday evening, the minister specified that more than 10,000 general education institutions will open their doors next Tuesday and that this level will have more than 135,000 teachers.
Trujillo stated that the priority for the school year is to guarantee in-person learning as much as possible, since for children and adolescents, nothing replaces human contact with their peers, which is essential for their future development.
She also emphasized the crucial role of municipalities in responding promptly to the specific problems of each institution.
The Cuban minister of education highlighted that all boarding schools in the country, including the Pre-University Institutes of Exact Sciences, will begin the school year, although their admissions cycles will be adapted to the current conditions.
Amid the complexities affecting this modality, especially in terms of housing, food, and transportation, Trujillo stressed that making it sustainable will be a significant challenge.
The minister also detailed that they are working on alternative energy supply solutions for educational centers, primarily boarding schools and special education schools.
Regarding teacher staffing, Cuba’s education minister noted that the shortage of teachers persists, but a grassroots mobilization of university students, professionals from other sectors, and retirees is underway.
For her part, the National Director of Training and Professional Development at the Institute of Physical Education and Sports, Emilia Rebeca Hernández, stated that more than 13,000 students will enroll in sports initiation schools.
Among the main directives for this school year, Hernández mentioned ensuring the greatest possible in-person attendance, strengthening the connection between students and their educational institutions and faculty, as well as gradually reorganizing the local community level.
She also said that priority will be given to the initial grades of each educational level, systematizing the necessary content based on current adjustments and guaranteeing specialized attention to twelfth grade and continuity of studies.
The Director General of Artistic Development and Training at the Ministry of Culture, Ariadna Padrón, explained that more than 40 art schools will be open this school year, offering instruction in seven specialties and more than 30 profiles.
This school year will be heroic, hence the importance of the role of the community, families, and teachers, the official emphasized, adding that more than two thousand new students have enrolled.
The news report reiterated that education is a principle of the Cuban Revolution and that starting the school year under the current difficult conditions demonstrates the country’s political will to continue defending this achievement.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
