Cuban Education Ministry Reviews 2007/08 School Year

CUBA, July 17, 2008. Cuba's Ministry of Education held their final meeting reviewing the 2007-2008 school year to identify the areas for improvement for next year. The ministry concluded that there is a shortage of teachers and teachers with advance training, and a lack of school discipline, vocational training courses and classes on Cuban History.

Jose Ramon Fernandez, vice president of the Council of Ministers, spoke of the need to offer more teacher training to improve their comprehensive knowledge of the subjects they teach. He said teachers have to set a good example to gain the respect of the students.

Fernandez also spoke about the important influence schools can have on society in teaching good manners and curbing disrespectful behavior, rudeness and damaging habits. He said that the way funds are distributed needs to improve, in accordance with the interests of the students, and local and national governments. He called on people to voice their concerns and take part in the decision-making process.

Minister of Education Ena Elsa Velasquez Cobiella listed the main problems of the 2007/2008 school year and challenges for the coming one: a shortage of 8,192 teachers; 21,000 high-school students who did not graduate in their final year; insufficient training of "General Comprehensive Teachers;" poor results in reading, spelling, writing and geometry; and a lack of discipline at boarding schools.

Velasquez spoke of the importance of encouraging students to enrol in education majors from an early age. She said that despite the teacher shortage, no classrooms have been shut down. She said that 107,000 teachers are currently taking master's degree in Education. She also spoke of the challenges of offering education in all of the country's rural communities and said there are currently 1,398 schools that have five or less students.

Participants at the meeting also spoke about ways to encourage President Raul Castro's call for teachers to return to the education sector. The president of the Teachers Association, Nydia Gonzalez Rodriguez, said that many retired teachers are willing to return to the classroom, but that some need additional training to become in tune with the current system.

The provinces with the best results in the school year that ends were Pinar del Río, Santiago de Cuba and Granma. (Cubaminrex -RHC)