Miguel Díaz-Canel referred this Wednesday to the start of the 2026-2027 school year to address those who talk about collapse in Cuba, posting a video on his Facebook profile explicitly aimed at his critics in which he stated that "more than one million 500 thousand children and adolescents return to the classrooms on Tuesday, September 1."
The post from the ruler, accompanied by a video just over a minute long, concludes with a phrase that summarizes the official stance: "Together we defend the social gains of the Cuban revolution."
The publication comes just two days after Díaz-Canel declared to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo: “No, we are not on the brink of collapse”, although in that same interview he acknowledged that the country is going through “one of the most difficult times.”
The official rhetoric was not limited to the president. Walter Simón Noris, first secretary of the Communist Party in Camagüey, stated on social media that "no one can imagine the political blow we are delivering to imperialism by starting classes this September 1st," a statement that sparked a wave of mockery and outraged responses.
The reality faced by Cuban families stands in stark contrast to that narrative. The education system enters the new school year with a deficit of at least 24,000 teachers —12.5% of the required positions— with provinces like Camagüey and Matanzas each having over 2,000 vacancies.
A teacher from Holguín publicly challenged the leader stating that "we haven't been paid since May."
In addition to the shortage of teachers, there is a lack of basic material conditions. The production of school uniforms is around 2.3 million pieces against a national demand of 3.6 million. On the other hand, the Minister of Education acknowledged that only 20% of the enrollment will receive new uniforms at the beginning of the school year.
According to data from the World Food Program, 48.5% of Cuban children aged six to eleven do not receive meals or snacks at school.
The blackouts, which in many areas exceed 20 hours a day, also affect rest and the capacity to learn. "With what electricity, with what uniform, with what water, with what snack?" summarized a Cuban internet user in the comments of an official post.
In light of this situation, dozens of Cuban mothers have publicly stated that they will not send their children to school unless minimum conditions are guaranteed. "If there is no good quality for my children, they won't go to school (...) They won't go, period," wrote Roxana San Gil in the Facebook group "Madres Cubanas Luchadoras 2."
The government, for its part, acknowledges the difficulties while maintaining a triumphant tone.
The Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, affirmed during a tour of the country to verify the preparations that efforts are underway to ensure a "worthy and sustainable" school year, although adjusted to the conditions of the country, with flexible solutions in each region.
Universities will begin in hybrid or distance modalities, with in-person attendance only when conditions allow.
The previous course had to be closed early, between June 15 and June 30, due to the energy crisis and lack of fuel, and the university entrance exams were suspended in May and replaced by the pre-university academic index, as the minimum conditions for their conduct could not be guaranteed.
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