Just hours before the start of the 2026-2027 school year in Cuba, the Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, acknowledged that schools will open this Tuesday under "very difficult" conditions, characterized by shortages of uniforms and supplies, issues with teacher coverage, and challenges in maintaining school meals.
During an appearance this Monday on the program "Revista Buenos Días" on Canal Caribe, the official stated that the preparations have essentially required keeping educational staff mobilized throughout the summer.
"There has been practically no rest. The vast majority of our managers, staff, and a significant portion of our workers and even teachers have hardly left the classrooms," he stated.
The minister acknowledged that the course will start with a limited availability of resources. Notebooks will be subject to a "basic adjusted standard," while for teachers, materials such as sheets and pens have also been reduced to a basic standard.
School feeding represents another major challenge. Trujillo stated that alternatives have been sought with local governments and both state and non-state actors to ensure essential services, but he acknowledged that maintaining them will be a "tremendous effort."
Without a uniform, but they will be able to attend classes
One of the most noticeable shortages will be school uniforms.
Trujillo acknowledged that not all students will be able to have them and assured that no student will be turned away for attending without a uniform.
"It won't be because they aren't wearing the uniform that a child can't enter the school," he affirmed.
The official acknowledged that "unfortunately it has not been possible" to guarantee the uniform for everyone due to the difficulties the country is facing and noted that the authorities will closely monitor "the production that is achieved."
It also mentioned initiatives by families, communities, and Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) to locate available clothing, while schools will need to ease their requirements.
"We're saying that comfortable clothing is important because school is a place for learning. Comfortable, simple clothing," he explained.
Problems in covering the classrooms
In addition to the scarcity of resources, another major challenge recognized by the Ministry of Education is the coverage of teachers.
The minister identified Havana as the territory with the “most complex” situation, mentioned difficulties in provinces in the central part of the country such as Sancti Spíritus, and warned that Camagüey shows less stability than in previous years.
To address the coverage issues, the Ministry will turn to various alternatives, including the "Educando por Amor" program, which involves university students, as well as mobilizing professionals who previously worked in Education and specialists from other sectors who can assist in the schools.
Additionally, formulas will be maintained that allow the same teacher to work in more than one institution or to attend to multiple groups.
These measures will also include students from university and secondary education pedagogy programs, who will enhance their training directly in schools.
As Trujillo herself acknowledged, they will form "another force that will enter the school in order to somehow compensate for the current situation regarding coverage."
The teacher shortage is also occurring in a context marked by the departure of professionals from the sector. In recent months, there have also been reports of delayed salaries affecting education workers in provinces such as Holguín and Camagüey.
A "highly contextual" school
Given the significant differences in the conditions of each territory, Trujillo advocated for what he called a "very contextual" school for this course, with solutions that may vary even between classrooms and students within the same institution.
"There will be decisions made only within one institution, and they will likely be made only for a group within that institution, and probably also for a child from that institution," he explained.
The new cycle begins after the 2025-2026 school year, which was profoundly affected by the energy and economic crisis. The government had to advance its closure to the period between June 15 and June 30 due, among other factors, to the power outages, difficulties with fuel, and transportation issues.
The minister also recalled that during the previous school year, authorities counted between 17,000 and 23,000 children who had become "a little more disconnected from their institutions."
She explained that this number should decrease with the return of the scholarship students to their schools and through specific solutions for those who live far from their institutions, including the creation of classrooms closer to certain communities and transportation alternatives.
In vocational pre-university schools (IPVCE), initial attendance will be maintained through staggered groups. However, Trujillo indicated that the frequency of home passes could change, not only in those centers but also in other internal institutions.
The complex scenario contrasts with the political discourse that has accompanied the preparations. The Communist Party of Cuba recently described the start of the school year as “another act of heroism”, while Miguel Díaz-Canel denied that the Cuban education system is in collapse.
The minister herself provided a much more vivid description of what students, families, and teachers will encounter starting this Tuesday:
"The essential conditions are guaranteed, basic for a school that will operate differently, but it will be there."
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