The students from this emblematic institution went forward, followed by thousands and thousand of workers, proud of the participation of these and other students. Their presence speaks of one of Cubas main social achievements: education.

The UCI, founded five years ago by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, is a symbol that highlights the contrast between the attention paid to the youth in Cuba after the 1959 revolution and the lack of concern of administrations before that towards this sector of the population.

It is interesting to notice that the UCI, an institution that trains computer science professionals using a model that combines study and production in a dynamic, coherent way, is located in the same place where the infamous Torrens Children Orientation Camp was.

That dark camp was a sort of a prison for homeless children and teenagers who, victims of the situation in the country, used to sleep in the streets, drifting around. They were also kept there for causing public disturbance and other kinds of indiscipline. The supposed objective was to provide them with working skills for them to make their living later on. However, they were actually used as a free force labor in farming and other production activities, while subjected to maltreatment and overcrowding in dorms.

In contrast, nowadays thousands of students, the sons and daughters of Cuban workers, enjoy the benefits of education in these grounds, without distinction of race or sex. There they have access to education in a field as complex as computer science, and to the best conditions of life.

That is why the people from Havana are so proud to see the UCI students heading the demonstration. They are, per se, a symbol.

(Trabajadores.cu)