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"I don't see a future. I'm doing this to meet my parents' expectations. In itself, I chose this career because I like it, but there is no future here." With that statement, a young Cuban encapsulates the mood of an entire generation.
A video published this Wednesday by DDC, the channel of Diario de Cuba, features testimonials from students describing a collapsing educational system and a youth without prospects.
The young people interviewed report facing power outages of up to 22 hours a day, which hinder their ability to study and sleep, a virtually nonexistent school transport system, and a chronic shortage of teachers.
"The power outages hardly let you study, let alone sleep well. You have to go to a test or a presentation feeling tired and sleepy," says one of the students.
Another person describes how the classes come through the mobile phone, but without electricity to charge it, that's not possible either: "Sometimes the classes are sent through the phone and we can't study, and the other day we have to be evaluated."
Nutrition is another critical issue. "Some students don't eat anything, they go hungry or have to go home for lunch, and some live very far away. They serve a meal in the cafeteria, but it doesn't satisfy you," recounts one of the voices in the video.
Transportation worsens everything. Many rely on their parents or grandparents to take them, and those living in rural areas have even fewer options.
A technical student in electricity reports that he receives a stipend of 200 Cuban pesos —less than half a dollar at the informal exchange rate— which is insufficient to cover his daily transportation costs.
Disillusionment is not only with material conditions but also with the prospects that a university degree offers.
"Many people who were meant to do something great, doctors, for example, are working in small and medium-sized enterprises, and everyone says the same thing: 'Why should I study if I'm going to end up working in a small or medium-sized business?'" another young person points out.
That scenario has a real basis. The regime suspended the university entrance exams for the 2026-2027 academic year and advanced the end of the school year to the period from June 15 to June 30 due to the energy crisis and lack of fuel.
The 2025-2026 school year began with a deficit of approximately 24,000 teachers nationwide, equivalent to 12.5% of the required positions, with salaries ranging from eight to twenty dollars per month at the informal exchange rate.
The flight of professionals is unstoppable. Cuba lost more than 30,000 doctors between 2021 and 2024, and the dilemma of who will rebuild the country is becoming increasingly urgent.
Approximately 545,000 Cubans emigrated in 2025 alone, with the predominant age group being between 20 and 40 years old, and 93% of the young people who remain on the island wish to leave if they could.
The students themselves acknowledge it: "People who have the means to leave the country definitely have many more opportunities to grow and pursue the career they want."
The video concludes with a demand that encapsulates the frustration of an entire generation: "A complete change of everything, both economic and political, everything. A general change."
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