Cuba will begin the 2026-2027 school year next Tuesday, in what the Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, acknowledged as "exceptional conditions," with fewer hours of class, uniforms that will only cover a fraction of the students, and one-third of the teaching positions unfilled.
In a press conference on Thursday held in the protocol hall of the Antimperialist Tribune, the Ministry of Education (Mined) presented the guidelines for the new school year and acknowledged that the number of class hours and the mode of in-person attendance will be adapted to the energy, transportation, and resource realities of each locality, according to a report from the Canal Caribe of state television.
One of the most revealing pieces of information is about school uniforms. The textile industry reached August with only 12% of primary production completed, due to a lack of electricity in the workshops, absence of fuel to transport fabrics, and limitations on importing supplies.
In light of this reality, the Mined announced that no child will be turned away from school due to a lack of a uniform. "We cannot provide an exact figure for coverage, but we guarantee that no child will stop attending school because they lack a uniform; we will prioritize the most vulnerable and clothing requirements will be relaxed," declared Trujillo, according to a report from the Cuban News Agency.
The strategy includes distributing the existing garments within the Universal Company and Retail Trade, providing cut fabrics for families to sew at home, and mobilizing community efforts for garment repairs.
In Ciego de Ávila, the distribution prioritized preschool, fifth, and seventh grades, with only one set per student.
The teacher shortage is equally serious. The national coverage barely reaches 73%, with the most critical situations in Havana and the central-western provinces, a situation primarily caused by migration and historically low salaries.
To alleviate this shortage, the Ministry of Education will implement Resolution 10, which allows a teacher to give classes at more than one institution, and will mobilize university students and professionals from sectors such as culture, science, and industry.
The situation worsens when recalling that the previous school year ended early, between mid and late June, due to a lack of fuel and prolonged power outages.
That same crisis forced the suspension of entrance exams for higher education and led to the return of 7,879 scholarship students to their municipalities.
While the government presents the start of the school year as an act of resistance, Cuban mothers warned on social media that they would not send their children to classes without minimum guarantees of electricity, water, food, and rest.
The minister herself acknowledged the significance of the moment: "We are asking for cooperation that we have never had to request before, not even in these past few years, which have also been difficult," she said.
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