Cuba will reopen schools in the central and western regions on November 11, despite the energy crisis

The Ministry of Education (MINED) of Cuba announced this Thursday that classes will resume on November 11 in the western and central provinces, despite the ongoing energy crisis affecting the Cuban population.

In a statement published on Facebook, the MINED explained that the resumption of classes takes into account Note 6 from the National Civil Defense Headquarters, which declared the recovery phase for the provinces of Mayabeque, Artemisa, Havana, Pinar del Río, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, as well as the return to normalcy for Matanzas and Ciego de Ávila.

However, the statement clarified that educational institutions that suffered severe damage from Hurricane Rafael and have not been repaired in time will be excluded from this measure.

In a television appearance, Naima Trujillo Barreto, Minister of Education, stated that the majority of educational institutions will be ready to resume the school year next Monday, November 11, according to preliminary reports on the impacts following Hurricane Rafael's passage through the western region of the country, as reported by the government-affiliated CubaDebate.

The minister stated that the damages to the educational infrastructure are specific and primarily involve the detachment of waterproof membranes and roof coverings.

To this end, an immediate response is already being coordinated to send the necessary materials and expedite the recovery of the affected facilities as soon as possible.

However, it was mentioned that for schools that do not open due to unfavorable conditions, "a series of methodological variants will be designed to ensure that the educational impacts are minimized."

According to CubaDebate, the minister also stated that "appropriate actions will be taken, such as the restructuring of enrollments and other educational alternatives."

Finally, regarding the role of schools as evacuation centers, the minister explained that the preparation of the facilities far exceeded the number of people that needed to be accommodated.

In some areas, facilities are already being adapted to facilitate the return of evacuees and their reassignment to other locations as appropriate.

However, in Santiago de Cuba, one of the provinces not affected by Hurricane Rafael, classes will also resume on Monday, November 11. This suggests that the resumption of the school year may be related to the ongoing energy crisis, which was exacerbated by the massive blackout that occurred this Wednesday.

Manuel Falcón, Governor of Santiago de Cuba, stated on his Telegram channel that the classrooms will open their doors on Monday.

"The educational activities are suspended until Monday, November 11," stated the governor without providing any further details.

The Cuban government announced the suspension of classes since last Tuesday in all the western territories of the country, where a Phase of Alert had been declared due to the threat of Tropical Storm Rafael, which later became a powerful Category 3 hurricane.