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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE March 12, 2008
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| November 20, 2007 |
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba – Visiting Children of the Revolution – How
Education is Strengthening Cuba’s Next Generation |
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5,000 children pass through the doors of the proud Palace of Provincial Pioneers every week, highlighting Cuba’s commitment to education |
When Peace Boat visited Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second largest city, a group of enthusiastic participants, some with a background in education and teaching, were keen to explore further Cuba’s unique education system. Based on the communist model, education is free for everybody, even at the university level. With 97 percent literacy, one of the highest rates in the world, Cuba is reaping the fruits of its efforts to narrow the gap between the educated and uneducated. |
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| Children busy themselves making intricate models as part of their extended education |
Housed in a grandiose pink colonial-style building, the Palace of Provincial Pioneers is an unusual school in that it offers accelerated tuition for some 5,000 students between the ages of 5 and 11 who spend several hours each week at the school focusing on areas of interest. For instance, children who express interest in pursuing a career in engineering receive tuition in model-making. The curriculum is also based upon Marxist-Leninist principles which enables the students to understand the political context in which they live and also places emphasis on working collectively. |
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| The students dazzled participants with their many traditional Cuban performances |
After peeking into the classrooms, and receiving spontaneous kisses on the check from the students who were wearing crisp white shirts and brown shorts, participants met with students in the large outside courtyard where they performed a dazzling array of acts for the participants, including ballet, singing, salsa and other traditional Cuban performing arts. |
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| A participant helps school pupils from the self-sufficient Abel Santamaria school with their puzzle |
The participants were then ferried by bus to the lush outskirts of the city where nestled amongst palm trees, vines and landscaped gardens lies the Abel Santamaria School. This primary school is unique in that it is entirely self-sufficient. It boasts a large vegetable and herb garden, as well as small pig and goat farms which are all farmed to make school lunches for the 1000 children who attend the school and 70 who live there. There is also a mini-zoo containing a range of animals including a monkey and snake, and a horticulture center. Vocational training using the onsite farms, zoo and horticultural center comprises a large part of the students’ curriculum. Through farming, they are taught the benefits of communism and the importance of being self-sufficient. |
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| Participants were treated to a Carnival-like performance by the children |
After being treated to fresh coconut milk, drank straight from the coconut, participants watched a carnival-like performance by the students who, dressed in fantastic costumes, impressed participants with their dancing skills, despite the fact that they are still quite young. In turn, the participants sang a song in Japanese and Spanish about a butterfly, and taught the actions to the children. Proving they are both skillful and resourceful, the students gave each of the participants a good-bye gift of a hat they had made out of banana leaves. |
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| The children also experienced Japanese culture when participants taught them how to make origami |
As night fell, the program continued to a computer training school where both children and young adults are taught computer skills. The Youth Club of Computer and Electronics (JCCE) is supported by the Communist Youth Union and was established in 1987 to help “informationize” Cuba. Since its creation, more than one million people have benefited from the programs it offers in different branches throughout Cuba. Unique features of the school are that it is open 24 hours, and is free. The school also offers an outreach program and comes to people who can’t make it to their premises, such as the elderly or physically disabled. |
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| Cubans are justly proud of how they have modernized their society and entered the information age |
As participants walked into one of the rooms, a group of school aged children in uniform were perusing Peace Boat’s Spanish website. Getting the population of Cuba computer literate is a big step for the communist nation, but as the school illustrated, it is well set up to provide the education needed. In fact, many primary schools are starting to offer classes in computer science, which goes against many people’s image of Cuba as a technologically poor society. |
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