Government delivers bicycles to rural students and teachers in Matanzas due to transportation deficit

The Cuban government delivered bicycles to students and teachersof rural communities in the Matanzas municipality of Unión de Reyes, in the midst of the transportation deficit that has led schools in the provinces to close their doors due to low student attendance.

As reported to the local newspaperGiron Ariel Luis Surí, provincial head of Primary Education, this week 17 "small" bicycles were delivered to children from third to sixth grade at the Abelardo Rodríguez and Reynaldo Montejo centers, residents in the "Plan Turquino" area, which is difficult to access, in the municipality of Unión de Reyes.

For their part, 25 large cycles were given to teachers so that they can travel to schools in case they cannot access another means of transportation.

"The donation of bicycles to students and teachers who live in rural communities with areas that are difficult to access will facilitate their transportation to the student centers during the course that has just begun," the media said.

Children in these rural areas travel long distances daily between their homes and educational institutions using different means of transportation.

Many times the route must be done on foot when there are families who cannot afford to transport the little ones.

“For delivery, a joint evaluation was made with the municipal management councils and primary departments of the needs and they were distributed based on a study of the density of rural schools that we had, and the most pressing needs for transportation. “added Luis Surí.

Teachers from municipalities belonging to the rural sector in the province were also granted 25 large bicycles, an initiative that is part of the attention to rural areas that is prioritized by the direction of the provincial government.

The Turquino Plan, initiated in 1987, was a regime plan to stimulate the development of mountainous and difficult-to-access areas of the country.

Currently, in the midst of the transportation crisis in which the country is mired, the inhabitants of these communities often have no way to access other towns.

Given the difficulty of parents in taking their children to the schools closest to their communities due to the lack of public transportation that guarantees children their attendance at classes, severalrural schools in Matanzas have had to close.