The Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE) "Vladimir Ilich Lenin", the most emblematic high-performance school in Cuba, is going through the 2026-2027 academic year without breakfast in the cafeteria, with electricity available only a few hours a day, and with water not reaching the upper floors of the dormitories.
IPS Cuba reported that the academic center began the school year on September 14 with more than 1,200 students enrolled, but only provides lunch and meals in its cafeteria. Breakfast has been removed from the offerings.
The source does not specify when that decision was made. The available menu is described as unstable and consists of rice, peas, and mashed root vegetables. The responsibility of completing each meal with protein—and covering breakfast—falls on the families.
"There is electricity only a few hours a day. When the school day ends and we go up to the dormitories, it becomes very difficult to be in the dark all the time," recounted a tenth-grade student.
The water reaches the ground floor bedrooms, but does not reach the second, third, and fourth floors. In light of this reality, the students themselves have improvised conditions for cooking in the dorms using electric pots, rechargeable fans, lamps, and portable power stations.
The cafeterias at the facility were leased to non-state management entities, with prices that residents describe as prohibitive for the average wallet. Due to the fuel crisis, outings from the dormitory occur every 15 days, which prolongs the stay and increases family expenses on food and supplies.
The gym, the wooden floor, and the cinema in the center have been out of service for over five years, under repair with no completion date, meaning that none of the new generations of students have been able to use them.
The medical care of the staff partly relies on external donations. The project A Cuba hay que quererla, coordinated by Dr. Amado Riol, provided the health department at Lenin with first aid supplies, medications, and other items.
In August, some families had already reported that the Lenin would start the school year with about 400 mattresses missing, no definitive solution for the water supply, and a risk of blackouts lasting up to 20-22 hours a day. The Minister of Education, Naima Trujillo, acknowledged on August 27: "We will begin the school year with all the difficulties."
Meanwhile, the Government of Havana published images on its Facebook page from a visit to the center on September 16, showcasing the science museum, decorated hallways, and uniformed classrooms, but did not document the conditions regarding food, water supply, and electricity at the center.
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