Without electricity or water: This is the situation at a primary school in Havana

A Cuban mother denounced the precarious conditions in which the Braulio Coroneaux Primary School, located in the Cerro municipality of Havana, is found.

The situation has forced the closure of the institution and the transfer of the students to another school in equally deplorable conditions. The government has not even guaranteed the relocation of the school furniture, and the parents themselves have had to cover the expenses.

Can someone tell me where we can go? The Braulio Coroneaux Elementary School, where my son studies, was closed due to its deplorable structural condition. The municipality's government instructed to transfer all students to the Reiniel Páez Elementary School," the affected person stated.

The change of school implies moving half a kilometer away from the educational center and relocating all the furniture. The building of this school that hosts them has several floors, but the floors assigned to Braulio Coroneaux's students are in terrible condition.

In the list, this Cuban mother detailed:

• There is no power.
• The toilets are clogged.
• There are serious problems with the water supply.
• The doors and windows are broken, there is no security.
• Not to mention the mess (although that's something parents can fix).
• The third floor will be shared with the children from Reiniel Páez Elementary School.

Additionally, they told us that we had to move to the other school by our own means before Monday. The parents in the group had already rented the moving truck, and when we went to Reiniel Páez School, we saw the deplorable situation that exists.

This complaint reflects the frustration of parents who see how their children's basic needs are not being met, while the government continues to allocate resources to the development of other sectors.

Another Cuban mother reacted to the publication and shared a testimony about the poor condition of Braulio Coroneaux Elementary School and how children have been victims of accidents at that educational center.

"My children also study at that school, since 1st grade and they are already in 6th grade. Since they started, the school has had terrible construction conditions and no substantial repairs have been made. A few months ago, a piece of ceiling fell on one of my kids' shoulder in the bathroom. Luckily, there were no serious consequences other than scratches and pain for several days, but it could have hit him on the head, like it happened to a classmate who was dazed for a while after the impact," the woman said.

It has become a habit at the Ministry of Education in Cuba to leave tasks such as painting classrooms and halls in daycare centers, fixing windows, moving furniture and teaching materials, buying fans, among other things, as the responsibility of the parents.

The educational community demands immediate answers and solutions to ensure a safe and suitable environment for the learning of Cuban children, but the State does not respond and takes refuge in old arguments, such as the economic embargo and shortages.

The National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) published the official data for 2023, showing that the Cuban government continues to focus on tourism, despite the deep crisis in the public healthcare system and the shortages in the educational sector.