Following the devastating passage of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael through the eastern and western regions of the country, respectively, along with the ongoing seismic activity in the eastern region and the persistent energy crisis, the government resumed the school year in Cuba this Monday.
Cira Piñeiro Alonso, the First Deputy Minister of Education, stated in the province of Granma that the school year resumed this Monday in most educational institutions in Cuba.
The official clarified that in Havana and Mayabeque, educational institutions will open their doors as soon as they are ready to welcome students, while in provinces that have already returned to normal, activities have begun without any setbacks, Granma reported.
Despite the triumphant rhetoric, Piñeiro acknowledged that in Artemisa, educational institutions will only gradually be reopened as electricity and water supply services are restored, both of which have been severely affected in the province.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that not all schools are in proper condition, so each institution will have to come up with the necessary alternatives to get started, Granma reported.
In the case of Artemisa, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Rafael, the official noted that 228 schools were affected, representing 59.8% of the institutions in the area. She added that Havana and Mayabeque also experienced significant losses, with 88 and 22 schools affected, respectively.
Nevertheless, for Piñeiro, the conditions are ready to restart the school year, despite the main damages including issues with roofs, carpentry, and fallen trees that compromised the structure of several institutions.
The province of Pinar del Río, with some areas experiencing over 120 hours of continuous blackouts, also resumed the school year.
Despite this, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel showcased the resumption of the school year on his social media as a “revolutionary achievement” of the government: “Today, we were able to restart classes in the majority of Cuban schools and universities that had been suspended due to the hurricanes.”
Additionally, in his speech, he acknowledged the efforts of "teachers, workers, families, and students who came together for the recovery."
In eastern Cuba, affected by Hurricane Oscar and two major earthquakes—along with the aftershocks that keep authorities on edge—the school year has continued to serve as a platform for praises and slogans.
The official newspaper of Guantanamo, Venceremos, stated on its Facebook profile that the reopening ceremony for the school year took place at the Julio A. Delgado Reyes elementary school in Macambo, "one of the facilities revitalized in record time after the devastation caused by Hurricane Oscar in San Antonio del Sur."
Additionally, they mentioned that more than 87,180 students from various educational levels resumed classes this Monday across the province, "after interruptions caused by the threat of rain during Hurricane Rafael's passage, which forced the evacuation of a large part of the eastern Guantánamo population."
According to the news portal, of the 887 schools scattered throughout the province of Guantánamo, "about 185 were affected by Óscar, and to date, 156 have recovered and 23 are operating in alternative locations."
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