Camagüey will begin the 2026-2027 school year with a deficit of nearly 3,000 teachers to cater to over 95,000 students in 690 schools, as reported in the latest meeting of the Provincial Education Directorate.
The shortage of teachers is mainly concentrated in Basic Secondary, Pre-University, and technical-professional education. To fill the vacant positions, authorities plan to hire external teachers and reintegrate retirees, options that were also used in previous years, a report from the official newspaper Adelante specified on Wednesday.
The magnitude of the deficit already requires changes to the organization of classes. In Basic Secondary education, 910 students will be transferred to primary schools in their localities, and 467 of them will be attended to by primary school teachers, with the support of six Basic Secondary teachers and eight municipal officials.
Technical and vocational education is also affected by the shortage of teachers. Approximately 400 students will be taught by primary and secondary school instructors, while in pedagogical training, 479 students will be placed in 47 municipal venues.
The situation also involves the Máximo Gómez Báez Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences, which will transfer 299 boarding students to pre-university schools in their municipalities. Of these, nine will receive assistance in primary or secondary schools, while authorities are exploring other alternatives, the source added.
The Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, participated in the working meeting and called for managing the course from the territories, prioritizing maintaining the highest possible level of in-person attendance. She also suggested turning to projects organized by young people, universities, businesses, and educational areas to support teaching processes.
In terms of infrastructure, 52 educational centers remain unaccredited due to issues with cisterns or water storage. Among them, one is located in Nuevitas and 51 in Camagüey, while in Guáimaro, another 12 institutions are still awaiting certification.
The teacher shortage in Camagüey is part of a national issue. The minister herself acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, noting that authorities are requesting assistance that they had not needed to ask for before, even during the past few years, which she also described as difficult.
In Camagüey, the deterioration is progressive. The 2025-2026 school year started with over 2,000 vacant positions and a coverage of 75.5%.
In December of last year, a basic secondary school in Vertientes went so far as to post a public notice with job offers for teachers in Mathematics, Spanish, and History. In July of this year, teachers from that same locality reported two months of not receiving their salaries.
The lack of personnel is compounded by other structural issues. Fifty-two schools in the province are not certified due to failures in cisterns or water storage, and there are still 12 institutions pending in Guáimaro. The school snack will only be provided to 59 schools, and if its continuity is not ensured, it will be reduced to a single daily class session, according to the official organ of the Communist Party in the Agramonte territory.
The educational crisis in Cuba arrives at the beginning of this school year with only 12% of primary school uniform production completed, due to a lack of electricity in the workshops, absence of fuel to transport fabrics, and limitations on importing supplies.
The previous course had to be closed early, between mid and late June, due to the energy crisis and fuel shortage.
Cuban mothers are divided regarding the start of classes. While some insist on their children's right to education despite the conditions, others refuse to send them to classrooms without qualified teachers, without food, and after nights of prolonged blackouts.
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