Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, September 1. -More than 1.53 million students in Cuban General and University Education begin the 2025-2026 school year today, amid a complex national economic outlook, sector officials reported.
In recent statements, the head of the Ministry of Education (MINED), Naima Ariatne Trujillo, asserted that despite the difficulties, the State has guaranteed essential resources for the functioning of the Caribbean country's education system.
The school day begins with a strong component of social commitment from professionals, workers, and institutions involved in the collective effort to maintain the continuity of the educational process, the minister noted.
In this context, the educational situation in the country is diverse and requires specific territorial solutions, Trujillo stated, explaining that "each region faces different challenges, from teacher coverage to school logistics."
She also emphasized that educational projects must adapt to local conditions, so "flexibility and collaborative work are key to overcoming obstacles" when students from different educational levels arrive in the classrooms, she stated.
In the eastern provinces, such as Santiago de Cuba, teacher coverage reaches 99 percent, an example of efficiency and organization. These territories have developed their own initiatives to secure educational supplies and technology, she explained.
However, the western part of the Cuban archipelago faces greater shortages of teachers and teaching staff; while in the central part, the province of Sancti Spíritus is experiencing a situation described as "extremely complex" by the minister.
Regional inequalities require differentiated strategies and centralized support. The Antillean island's educational system prioritizes equity but recognizes material limitations.
However, the school infrastructure has been prepared through community effort and the participation of families and teaching groups, the top representative of the Ministry of Education stated.
She also highlighted the guarantee of basic supplies such as notebooks, pencils, and teaching materials, distributed equitably among regions according to the availability of these resources.
Meanwhile, retail and textile industry officials presented to the press aspects of the gradual distribution of school uniform, the production of which prioritized pre-primary, fifth, and seventh grade students.
The Cuban education system requires more than 3.6 million items of clothing, but 2.2 million have been produced to date, according to officials from the Ministry of Industries.
Cuba allocates almost 24 percent of its public spending to education, a historic priority for the state since the revolutionary triumph of January 1, 1959, led by Fidel Castro, to whom the school year is dedicated, marking the centennial of his birth on August 13, 2026. (Text and photo: PL)
