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Studying in Cuba no longer guarantees a future, not even the present. The economic crisis and low stipends have turned university students into forced workers who must balance teaching with informal jobs to survive, a reality that, while common in many countries, was unimaginable in the Caribbean nation just a few years ago.
The official newspaper Juventud Rebelde acknowledged in a report that thousands of university students in Cuba are forced to work to support themselves, due to the inadequacy of state stipends and the overall deterioration of the economy.
The publication features testimonies from young people in various provinces who, amidst classes, precarious jobs, and sleepless nights, are striving to complete their studies in the midst of a crisis that directly impacts their livelihoods and professional aspirations.
"We need to generate income to help our families," confessed one of the interviewees, a Computer Engineering student at the University of Sancti Spíritus, who decided to accept an administrative position to cover his expenses.
“If we organize ourselves well, of course we can achieve it,” he added, although his testimony reflects the normalization of precariousness.
According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security cited by Juventud Rebelde, there are currently 2,842 students working part-time in the state sector, of which more than 2,100 are university students.
However, the actual figure could be much higher, as the report acknowledges the presence of young people employed in the private sector without formal contracts or labor protections.
One of the most revealing testimonies is that of an Accounting student who left his Engineering degree to start working independently in the area of sublimation and printing.
"I have better pay and a legal contract, even though it is not related to my career," he explained.
His story reflects a growing trend: young people prioritize immediate income over professional vocation.
The text also presents cases of students who balance their studies with jobs in bars, cafes, or as construction helpers, without any legal support.
“I worked for extended periods without a contract and no one demanded it from me,” admitted a student from Holguín, while Juventud Rebelde describes this phenomenon as a “serious violation of labor standards.”
The publication also admits that state stipends are so low that they are merely symbolic.
Since the so-called Reorganization Task, students receive between 200 and 600 Cuban pesos monthly, an amount that does not cover even the cost of a weekly trip between provinces or a meal around the universities.
"Eating a pizza can cost 250 pesos," exemplifies a student interviewed.
The official report, however, avoids questioning the structural causes of this precariousness.
The note omits the role of the government in the devaluation of academic work and the lack of real incentives for young people.
It also does not mention that most universities lack cafeterias, adequate housing, or basic resources to ensure student life.
The result is a generation that is shaped under extreme conditions, pushed into the informal economy, with an uncertain professional future and devoid of incentives to stay in the country.
The phrase that best summarizes the situation was expressed by a journalism student in Havana: “If the situation were different, I wouldn’t have to think about how to study, work, and survive at the same time.”
What Juventud Rebelde presents as “youth responsibility and sacrifice” is, in fact, a reflection of a structural crisis that forces young people to support with their own hands a system that offers them neither guarantees nor a future.
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