By Nuriem De Armas

As part of the Cuban cultural revolution begun in 2000, the University for All TV program offers the viewers courses on several languages among other subjects through the national television network.

Courses of literature appreciation and narrative techniques were the first steps taken in this experience designed as part of a broad and broad coverage project in the Educational Channel opened for this purpose as the third television channel.

With 36 hours of classes, the pioneer in languages was the course of Spanish followed by one of the English language, divided into two periods, that reached Cuban homes for a total of 180 hours and captured the attention of old and young.

The Education Ministry found the idea of transmitting knowledge through television a way of solving the shortage of teachers at the time. The English course became part of the teaching program of that subject in the educational centers of the country.

With a two hour weekly frequency the French Language course of University for All has a program of 72 classes. After the first part of this course is completed, a test was carried out with the participation of six thousand people.

Spanish spelling was another subject within the program of language classes.

As the name suggests, the Education Channel, its main objective is centered on reaching all Cuban homes with education and culture.

To date, the University for All channel has given since its inauguration October 2, 2000, a total of 28 courses with one thousand 86 hours of television transmission.

Reaching the entire country, this program arose as part of the battle of ideas that concentrates on the struggle for a country that is sovereign and with dignity that began to use television creatively to transmit knowledge to the entire population, aware that in this ideological combat, culture is one of the main trenches.

A central aspect of the battle of ideas was the effort to increase educational opportunities for the people and increase its access to culture.

At present, the educational channel has two television studies equipped with the most modern advanced technologies of telecommunications.

One of the studios is dedicated to the transmission of a wide variety of courses of the University for All, aimed at a broad spectrum of society. The other offers educational television services for the different levels of teaching in the country: primary, secondary, pre-university a vocational.

A team of specialists from the education and culture ministries of the country are in charge of preparing the programs and the basic materials required to increase the general culture of the people.

Several subjects have the support of tabloids that are sold for two pesos in national currency.

With a printing of 500 thousand, than in the English course had to be increased to a million, sales were 100 percent indicating the level of acceptance of this project by the population.

Although in function for two years, University for All with the educational channel will continue its experimental phase to add all the new plans aimed at raising the general culture massively.

Chosen for the excellence and experience, 441 professors work for University for all, of which 171 are doctors of Pedagogical Sciences, 71 are masters and 193 are bachelors of sciences and engineers.

Similar programs are broadcast in private channels in Spain and Mexico but none reach the quality and systematisation of the Cuban experience, according to experts.

After receiving the courses of Geography and Universal and Cuban History the television viewers will receive courses on chess, not just as an incentive but to learn the game of probabilities, that helps to think of possible solutions to daily problems.

Recently, President Fidel Castro inaugurated the third channel for three provinces and all the provincial capitals. More than seven million persons received the broadcast.

In the future, the statesman explained, on the conclusion of the third stage of the project, more than nine million, about 85% of the Cubans will enjoy this revolutionary program.

The Cuban head of state added that Cuba offered its cooperation to UNESCO (UN Education, Science and Culture Organization) to boost and promote the idea in the world to eradicate illiteracy of 860 million persons in the planet in five years.

* The author is a journalist of the National editorial board of Prensa Latina.

Taken from: Prensa Latina