A Cuban resident in Miami identified on TikTok as Yeni&John (@yenisleidysolis) posted a video this Thursday in which she harshly denounces the collapse of the educational system in Cuba, responding to those who criticized her previous comments about the schools on the Island.
"Don’t try to defend the indefensible," the woman states at the beginning of the video, making it clear that she has no intention of softening her assessment of the Cuban educational reality.
One of the most striking points highlights the perverse incentives that operate within the system: if a student fails to advance to the next grade, the teacher's salary is impacted. "Nowadays, kids advance to the next grade being completely ignorant, like a donkey in a tie, not even knowing how to put the 'o' with a tube. Why? Because if a student has any issues and does not pass, it affects the teacher's salary. That's not a method for teaching," says the TikToker.
This mechanism is not an anecdote: the Cuban Ministry of Education has guidelines that prevent the suspension of students, which has resulted in a systematic practice of artificial grade promotions. Moreover, there have been reports of teachers providing the answers to exams at the time of handing them out.
The woman also recounts her daughter's direct experience, who spent almost two years with teachers who did not attend regularly. "Today that one didn't come again, another teacher after that, that one didn't come either, and so the months went by while going to school just to play ball," she describes. She adds that out of 20 students in a classroom, only five attend, and that when the teacher does show up, they also do not hold the class due to lack of quorum.
This reality is backed by statistics. Cuba started the 2024-2025 school year with a deficit of 24,000 teachers, which is equivalent to 12.5% of the teaching positions in the country, and the situation persisted into the 2025-2026 cycle. In Sancti Spíritus, teacher coverage fell to 68%. In Camagüey, teachers reported this month that they have gone two months without receiving their salaries.
The reason for the teacher exodus is economic. The salaries of primary school teachers range between 2,500 and 3,000 Cuban pesos per month, which is equivalent to between six and ten dollars at the informal exchange rate, compared to a basic basket that exceeds 25,000 pesos. The TikToker summarizes it bluntly: “Doctors and teachers, after spending years studying, have left their professions to sell in a MIPYME or work in a paladar because they are starving with that small salary they get at school.”
The criticism extends to the health system. The woman recalls that in her day, one had to bring food to the doctor discreetly, but now the situation is open and brazen: "Nowadays, if you don’t go with a bag in hand, you don’t even make it to the line; they won’t let you through the door. Not to mention that if you go to the doctor, you have to bring even the needle with which you’re going to get a shot."
The 2025-2026 school year ended early between June 15 and June 30, weeks ahead of schedule, due to the energy crisis and lack of fuel. The regime also eliminated entrance exams for higher education for that cycle, a measure that reflects the level of institutional deterioration described by the TikToker in her video.
"Every day it’s getting worse, nothing works. I’m embarrassed to say it, but I don’t want to cover it up," concludes the Cuban, summarizing in a few words what the data confirms: the collapse of a system that the regime continues to present as one of its main achievements.
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