Education in Cuba has been a highly ranked system for many years. The
University of Havana was founded in 1727 and there are a number of other well-established
colleges and universities. Following the 1959 revolution, the Castro government nationalized all educational institutions, and created a government operated system. Education expenditures continue to receive high priority.
[Latin lessons: What can we Learn from the World’s most Ambitious Literacy Campaign?](_blank)
by Nina Lakhani, '' The Independent'', 7 November 2010
History
Spain colonized Cuba from the early 16th century until 1898, when the
Treaty of Paris granted the island independence following the
Spanish–American War. The
University of Havana, founded in 1727, is the oldest university in Cuba and one of the oldest in the Americas.
In 1900 Cuba had a literacy rate of 36.1% - which was quite high for
Latin America at the time. By the early 1900s Cuba had a strong education system, but only half of the country’s children participated. Schools remained inaccessible to the poorest Cubans and this resulted in a low literacy-rate for rural areas compared to the cities. The 1953 census found that of the Cubans over the age of 15 years, 22% were illiterate, and 60% of the country was semi-illiterate because many rural Cubans had a third-grade education or less.
Public Education in Cuba has always been free. After students passed the required entrance examination to their particular course of study, even attendance at the University of Havana was tuition-free, except for the cost of books. After the
Cuban Revolution of 1958-1959, the new government ranked the reconstruction of the education system along
Marxist ideological lines as a top priority. Five key objectives were devised and used to frame Cuba's educational system. Many children who lived in distant rural areas were now able to acquire an education provided them by visiting teachers.
Following the basic restructuring and reopening of Cuban schools, the new government focused on the huge literacy problem. By April 1959, 817 literacy centers were opened and, to further reach out to all, teens and other volunteers were sent out to the countryside to teach their fellow Cubans how to read. The
Literacy Campaign served two purposes:
* to educate every Cuban and teach them to read
* to give those who live in the city a chance to experience rural living
In a short time Cuba’s new government made vast changes to the education system, and by 2000, 97% of Cubans aged 15 to 24 were literate. Literacy provided poor uneducated Cubans a better standing in the country and the world. Education was vital to the new government. The leaders believed that for Cuba to be strong and for citizens to be active participants in society, they must be educated.
Private universities and schools were nationalized in 1961.
Female participation
The
Cuban Revolution in 1959 brought many changes to the country, especially for women. Before the Revolution many women lived as housewives and for those who needed to work there were very few choices. Many women in rural areas worked in agriculture, and for women in the city, working as a maid or as a prostitute were the only choices. The
Federation of Cuban Women
The Federation of Cuban Women ( es, italic=no, Federación de Mujeres Cubanas) (FMC) was established in 1960 under the revolutionary government with Vilma Espín as its president. Espin fought in the Sierra Maestras with Fidel Castro and Raul Cast ...
(FMC) was founded in August 1960 under the leadership of
Vilma Espin with a clear goal to involve all women in Cuban affairs. After years of being excluded, the women of Cuba began to play an active role in the government. The Federation of Cuban Women wanted to see women involved with the social, political, economical, and cultural issues Cuba faced. This required the building of schools and programs to provide multiple services to Cuban women.
The Cuban government instigated
Cuban Literacy Campaign to increase Cuba’s literacy rate and to initiate communication between the countryside and cities. Students and volunteers went to rural areas to teach people to read and to provide information on current Cuban politics. Rural women received schooling and job training if they chose to receive it, which allowed them to work outside of agriculture. For women working as prostitutes in the cities, the new government created programs to reeducate them once
prostitution in Cuba was suppressed in 1961. Separate but similar programs were set up for maids, offering schooling and job training along with free daycare and housing.
Quality
A 1998 study by
UNESCO reported that Cuban students showed a high level of educational achievement. Cuban third and fourth graders scored 350 points, 100 points above the regional average in tests of basic language and mathematics skills. The report indicated that the test achievement of the lower half of students in Cuba was significantly higher than the test achievement of the upper half of students in other Central and South American countries in the study group.
The 1998 study by
UNESCO was taken during the height of an economic depression; Cuba’s economic development has been severely restricted by
the U.S. trade embargo. Cuba is one of the poorest countries in the region and lacks basic resources yet still leads Latin America in primary education in terms of standardized testing.
For the past forty years, education has been a top priority for the Cuban government. Cuba's expenditure on education is at 10% of GNP.
[^ Gasperini, Lavinia. The Cuban Educational System: Lessons and Dilemmas. Country Studies Education Reform and Management Publication. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, LAC, Human Development Dept. 1999.]
The Cuban education system has faced teacher shortages in recent years. According to the
U.S. Department of State, "
emphasis on ideological indoctrination permeates all levels of Cuban educational system, but is enforced unevenly."
Primary and secondary education
School attendance is compulsory from ages 6 to 15 or 16 (end of basic secondary education) and all students, regardless of age or sex, wear
school uniforms with the color denoting grade level. Primary education lasts for six years. It consists of grades 1 through 6. Secondary education is divided into basic secondary education and pre-university secondary education. The curriculum in primary and secondary schools is based upon principles of "hard work, self-discipline and love of country". The primary-school curriculum includes dance and gardening, lessons on health and hygiene, and Cuban revolutionary history.
At the end of basic secondary education, pupils can choose between pre-university education and technical and professional education. Those who complete pre-university education are awarded the Bachillerato. Technical training leads to two levels of qualification - skilled worker and middle-level technician. Successful completion of this cycle gives access to the technological institutes.
In the 2010s, however, the economic crisis in the country, emigration, and low teachers salaries have led to a shortage of educators in primary and secondary schools throughout the island, with schools severely understaffed. There was an increase in private tutoring and private schools that teach English and other subjects.
International students
Foreign students must hold a
Bachelor's
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
or an equivalent degree, have a visa and take compulsory Spanish classes. Preparatory facilities offer courses in Spanish. During the 2000-01 school year Cuba allowed 905 U.S. students to visit and study. In 1999 a program was implemented to attract students to study medicine in Cuba from less privileged backgrounds in the
United States,
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and
Latin American,
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
, and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n nations. Cuba currently hosts 3432 medical students from 23 nations studying in
Havana.
Cuba has also provided state subsidized education to foreign nationals under specific programs, including U.S. students who are trained as doctors at the
Latin American School of Medicine. The program provides for full scholarships, including accommodation, and its graduates are meant to return to the US to offer low-cost healthcar
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6914265.stm]
Educational cooperation
In 2006 Venezuela and Cuba began jointly sponsoring education programs in El Palomar,
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. Cuba also maintains close co-operation on education with the
United Kingdom and other nations in the
European Union. In 2002 the Minister for Education in the
Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
Jane Davidson and representatives of the Universities of
Swansea and
Glamorgan in
Wales visited Cuba to create provisions for officials in Britain and Cuba to liaise over educational projects.
Cuba Solidarity Campaign : Cuba Si : Welsh Education Minister meets Fidel
/ref> In the United States, the Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute, a part of Tulane University, has developed relations with Cuban counterpart organizations for the purposes of academic collaboration and exchange, curricular development, cultural exchange and international development and dialogue.
See also
* List of universities in Cuba
The following is an incomplete list of colleges and universities in Cuba:
Provincial Colleges
* Agrarian University of Havana "Fructuoso Rodríguez", Mayabeque (UNAH* University "Marta Abreu" of Las Villas, Central University of Las Villas ...
* List of education articles by country
This is a list of articles on education organized by country:
A
*Education in Afghanistan
* Education in Albania
* Education in Angola
*Education in Argentina
*Education in Armenia
* Education in Australia
* Education in Austria
* Education i ...
* Higher Institute of Technologies and Applied Sciencesa Cuban educational institution that prepares students in the fields of nuclear and environmental sciences
* International School of Havana
References
External links
Cuban Education in Figures, 1958-2000
Cuban ministry for Education website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Education In Cuba
Society of Cuba