The primary school Máximo Gómez, located in the Dubrocq neighborhood of Versalles in Matanzas, has been without electricity for over 23 days due to a malfunction of the transformer that supplies the area, according to a complaint published by the Periódico Girón through its citizen complaints section.
The impact not only affects the students from the neighborhood but also children who travel from rural communities such as San Roque and La Ganadera to attend that school, the only one they have access to.
It was Belkis Almeida Martínez, a resident of the Dubrocq neighborhood, who alerted about the situation through a letter to the provincial newspaper. According to her complaint, the lack of electricity "causes irregularities in the development of the educational process that has just begun."
The Provincial Directorate of Education of Matanzas responded to the complaint. Its General Director, Ricardo Muñoz Alfonso, confirmed that the school principal, Neime Carrillo Aragón, "has not relented in her efforts with the Electric Company in order to resolve the serious issue." Furthermore, he specified that on September 16, the educator Gerardo Álvarez, head of the corresponding educational level, visited the institution, which indicates that the problem was known at both the municipal and provincial levels.
A replacement transformer was installed, but the solution proved ineffective: being of lesser capacity, it "caused overloads and disconnections of the lines," according to the Periódico Girón itself. In practice, the problem persists without an expected resolution date.
The situation arises at the worst possible moment. The 2026-2027 school year began on September 1 amid an electricity crisis that affected 70% of national demand, with only 1,000 megawatts available compared to a peak demand of 3,250. The Minister of Education herself, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, acknowledged that the start would be under "very difficult" conditions, with shortages of uniforms, materials, and teaching coverage.
Matanzas is the province most affected by the electricity collapse in 2026. In September, 91 damaged transformers were reported and there was the theft of more than 55,000 liters of dielectric oil, with 43 of the 98 substations affected and 12 still out of service. Residents from various circuits have reported up to 85 consecutive hours without electricity. Cuba experienced a total of eight nationwide blackouts in 2026, the last one occurring on September 19.
The deterioration of the electrical infrastructure directly affects the education system. In the province itself, a teacher from Sumidero, in the municipality of Limonar, had to teach classes on her porch because the only school building in the village was in ruins.
The newspaper Girón, in closing its note on the Máximo Gómez school, issued a warning that encapsulates the accumulated despair: “Now, it must be a priority for all the neighborhood authorities to join efforts and take action so that the solution does not fall into oblivion.”
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