Cuba starts school year amid severe shortages and teacher deficit
Cuba's schools reopened for 1.4 million students amid severe shortages of fuel, food, and uniforms, with teacher coverage at only 73%. The education minister called the reopening a 'heroic act' and appealed for volunteers to fill teaching gaps. Families face difficulties such as lack of transportation and power outages.
The reopening involves more than 10,000 schools serving roughly 1.4 million students, yet staffing shortfalls leave only about three-quarters of teaching positions filled. To address the gap, authorities relocated over 3,000 educators from eastern provinces to Havana, while appealing to university students, professionals, and retirees to volunteer.
Material shortages compound the staffing crisis. Uniform production meets barely a tenth of primary-level demand, and some schools hold just two weeks of food. Families now shoulder costs once covered by the state, including supplies and daily lunches, while transportation breakdowns force parents to improvise with borrowed horses and carts.
The deepening crisis may erode Cuba's long-standing educational achievements, as chronic shortages and teacher departures could lower instructional quality and student outcomes. Families already strained by daily power cuts and food scarcity may face additional financial pressure, potentially widening inequality between those who can supplement school