The educational authorities of Matanzas confirmed this Thursday that the province has secured a full supply of notebooks and pencils for the first semester of the 2026-2027 school year, which begins on September 1st.
According to the Girón Newspaper, the announcement was made during a review visit by Cira Piñero Alfonso, the First Deputy Minister of Education, who toured Matanzas to assess the readiness of educational institutions for the upcoming school year.
Ricardo Muñoz, provincial director of Education, presented a report to the official and specified that the projected enrollment for the territory amounts to 95,343 students, an increase of 801 students compared to the previous year, with the growth concentrated in early childhood education and pre-university education.
"All the notebooks and pencils needed for the first semester are guaranteed, and essential resources such as shoes and backpacks have been provided to 1,935 students in vulnerable situations," declared Muñoz, as reported by the pro-government newspaper Periódico Girón.
However, the school uniform remains an unresolved issue. The provincial director himself acknowledged that Limonar, Ciénaga de Zapata, and Los Arabos are the municipalities facing the greatest difficulties in its distribution, and that the administration is working with local authorities to ensure that every student has their uniform by the start of classes.
This deficit is not exclusive to Matanzas. The Minister of Education, Naima Trujillo, acknowledged that only 20% of the national enrollment will have new uniforms at the start of the 2026-2027 school year, marking the second consecutive year without complete coverage. At a national level, the demand for uniforms is around 3.6 million items, but production has only reached between 2.2 and 2.3 million.
The teacher shortage represents another fundamental challenge. Of the 8,746 teaching positions approved in Matanzas for this school year, only 6,635 are filled, leaving 2,111 positions without a permanent teacher, which are being covered through hourly contracts, trainee teachers, and redistribution of workload. The previous school year started with a similar deficit in the province, indicating that the issue is structural rather than temporary.
Deputy Minister Piñero Alfonso confirmed the date of September 1st for the start of the academic year across the country and highlighted transportation as a critical priority. "It is a priority to ensure transportation guarantees to secure maximum student attendance while also anticipating any difficulties that may hinder the proper development of the academic period," she stated.
The official also indicated that attention should be prioritized for students in remote communities that do not have resident teachers in their areas. The event additionally featured the presence of Liem O'Farril Mons, the General Director of Higher Secondary Education in the country.
The context in which this course begins is particularly challenging: the 2025-2026 school year was cut short due to power outages, fuel shortages, and transportation issues, and a recent estimate calculated that providing breakfast and snacks for a child for a month could exceed 10,000 Cuban pesos, an amount unattainable for most Cuban families.
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