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Cuba: new educational crusade
BY
SUNDRED SUZARTE MEDINA —Granma International staff
writer—
THE
new millennium imposes its challenges. It proposes a
different look at the unresolved issues in
humanity’s history, and the challenges of yesteryear
are a reality that do not fade away but make their
demands on those who play a leading role in this new
stage.
The
education of the people as a primary driving force
for human development and subsequent progress, was
once again present at the 2000 Millennium Summit,
and was one of the priority tasks for each
participating country. In this context, Cuba has
been able to excel, for its own good and for that of
others, as one of the nations that makes its own the
recognition of the dignity of human beings and the
good sense to be able to defend it.
Since the historic meeting in which the leaders of
189 countries took part to date, the island has
developed new strategies that has kept it as a
leader in this field, guaranteeing access and
opportunity to study to all, regardless of race, sex
or age, in the most current cases.
For
Cuba to continue winning international respect in
this sector has also signified in recent times
introducing new teaching methods that contribute to
making the most of the knowledge of both teachers
and students alike. These include teaching and
further training for teachers in an even broader
link with academic practice from the first years of
their professional training; the creation of
conditions to guarantee effective individualized
attention, one that is differentiated for children,
adolescents and young adults, through improving the
scholastic environment; the installation of modern
computer equipment, television and videos; and a
reduction in the number of students per class. It
also includes extending possibilities with respect
to university studies throughout all regions of the
country, the utilization of new technologies and
communication in accordance with giving every
citizen the chance to acquire a general and integral
culture.
It
can be confirmed that Cuba has fulfilled and far
exceeded the objectives surrounding education
envisaged by the Education for All Program from the
United Nations Education, Science and Culture
Organization (UNESCO) until the year 2015, which can
be seen in the Education for All Progress Report
from November 2005 that shows Cuba as the country
with the best results in terms of fulfillment,
according to the Development in Education index, in
the Latin American and Caribbean region.
However, education goes far beyond conventional
levels and places improvement at the disposition of
graduates in order to continue excelling themselves.
Currently, all teachers and professors in every
sphere of education who have finished university
studies have the possibility of continuing to raise
their professional pedagogic level. This
demonstrates the country’s level of interest not
just with respect to increasing knowledge on a
massive scale, but also providing efficient
resources to those who are responsible for
transmitting that knowledge.
According to the “Outline of the Special Report on
Cuba for the Non-Aligned Summit” from April 2006,
58.8% of the population aged 11 years and over has a
medium level and 7.3% have a higher level. The
indexes on academic efficiency, as well as the net
rates of admissions and registrations, academic
retention, repetition and the continuance of studies
for graduates of sixth and ninth grades, demonstrate
in all cases a favorable trend for the period
1991-2005, guaranteeing the fulfillment of the
Education for All objectives and the Millennium
Goals.
The
document emphasizes that elementary schoolchildren
today learn 2.2 times more mathematics and 1.5 times
more Spanish than they did 5 years ago.
Currently, more than 2.8 million students are
enrolled in the different levels of the education
system, of whom 500,000 are in higher education.
This matriculation covers the whole of national
territory in more than 13,400 educational
institutions, of which 1,200 service one and five
children resident in the rural sector and in all
cases have access to teachers, televisions, videos
and computers to receive their education in similar
conditions to the scholastic population resident in
town and cities.
On
the other hand and although under difficult economic
conditions, the government has approved wage rises
which constitute one of the ways in which society is
acknowledging the enormous relevance of the
workforce. The financial resources destined for
education have been increased significantly since
the triumph of the Revolution; of the 79.4 million
pesos set aside for the academic year 1957-58, the
education budget rose to 4,989 million pesos for the
year 2006, some 63-fold. More than 24% of national
expenditure that was budgeted for by the Cuban state
for the year 2006 was set aside to finance
programmed activities in the sphere of education.
Education in this country is moving at par with new
worldwide challenges. The Caribbean island has made
the commitment to elevate the cultural level of its
citizens and transform them into human beings who
are increasingly better prepared to face a reality
that is becoming more competitive. Cuba is part of
this new crusade for development. |
