The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel asserted this Thursday that in Cuba there are "enormous efforts" being made to open the classrooms on the upcoming first of September, but his message received numerous responses from families who questioned how to start the school year amidst power outages, water shortages, issues with uniforms, and difficulties in ensuring children's meals.
Much will and few conditions, summarized a Cuban among the responses to Díaz-Canel's post on Facebook.
The leader had announced that he reviewed preparations for the new school year and once again held the United States sanctions responsible for the difficulties the country is facing, while concluding his message with the phrase: "We will not give up."
Much of the reactions, however, focused on the everyday conditions that students and teachers will face.
"School year without conditions," wrote one person. Another asked directly: "Do you already have milk, water, and electricity?", a phrase that encapsulated several of the shortages that define the daily lives of many Cuban families today.
The impact of prolonged blackouts repeatedly appeared among the responses: "All I want you to tell me is how does a child learn when they can’t sleep,” a Cuban woman questioned.
Another pointed out: "What children need is to be able to rest properly, because sleepy children do not learn."
"When hungry and sleepy, one neither teaches nor learns", summarized another comment.
Several families also raised concerns about food. "What do we give the children for breakfast so they can go to school?" asked one person.
Another reaction was even more direct: "Study and work with hunger and fatigue."
A powerful message came from another mother: "My children are not going to any school if you can't even guarantee their rest," said a mother.
Along those lines, he also remarked, "Without food, without snacks [...] mine won't go."
Alongside the power outages, concerns about food are also a recurring issue. In recent days, Cuban families have expressed their worries about the difficulties in obtaining basic snacks due to the high prices of food items like oil and sausages.
A recent shared calculation estimated that a family may need more than 10,000 CUP per month just to ensure breakfast and snacks for a child.
The estimate did not include lunch, food, transportation, shoes, clothing, notebooks, or a backpack.
The situation had already led several mothers to wonder how they will cope with the start of the new school year.
Some have stated that they will have to reuse backpacks and shoes from last year, while others even suggested not sending their children to school due to the current conditions.
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